Grizzly in the Bitterroot

[Gerald Martin]

White upper class patriarchial good ole boy specieism strikes again. Grizzlies got just as much right to golf as anyone else.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Now Two Bear, plus one

I see what you did there

 

[HSi-ESi]

I too find it ironic that this bear was removed so quickly. No visuals of him and he wasn't causing any issues. How is the genetic diversity going to expand if we keep moving bears back into areas with more bears?

 

[406LIFE]

I too find it ironic that this bear was removed so quickly. No visuals of him and he wasn't causing any issues. How is the genetic diversity going to expand if we keep moving bears back into areas with more bears?

He was causing issues, digging up greens and the like at the course. He is also in a very congested area (relatively speaking for Montana). That he made it to the riverbed without being seen or tracked is amazing in itself.

 

[HSi-ESi]

Obviously, I'm not a golfer. (can't resist a Big Lebowski quote, or nearly one).

I agree it was amazing he wasn't noticed for some time. I just think the tolerance was a little low in this case. Lots of communities the size of Stevi dealing with bears in MT.

 

[mtmuley]

If that bear would have caused trouble in the wrong place, he might not have fared as well. mtmuley

 

[brendog84cj8]

I cant believe I hadn't previously flushed him out of the brush with as may balls as I have shanked into the brush on #6.

 

[Hannibal]

I think it's neat they are expanding their range. Part of the push to NOT de-list the grizzly is that they are concerned about making the connection between the northern populations in the Bob Marshall and Glacier park areas and the Yellowstone and Tetons. Looks like the bears are figuring it out on their own! A couple years ago there was a grizzly bear unfortunately shot by a black bear hunter just over Highway 12 into Idaho from Montana. These are just the ones that we know about. I have a friend who is an avid sportsman and knows wildlife who lives in the Nine Mile valley about 20 miles west of Missoula. He has seen grizzly bear tracks and bears themselves near to his property.

I do believe also that it's time to de-list them and allow very limited hunting.

You're correct. The grizzly you're referring to was shot by a nonresident hunter in Unit 10 on a guided hunt. I believe it was a sow. But that shouldn't be too difficult to confirm. The bear was mounted and is on display in the IDF&G regional office in Lewiston. Several years later, another grizzly bear was killed on Highway 12 by a motorcyclist. I believe that bear was also killed in Idaho.

 

[mtmuley]

You're correct. The grizzly you're referring to was shot by a nonresident hunter in Unit 10 on a guided hunt. I believe it was a sow. But that shouldn't be too difficult to confirm. The bear was mounted and is on display in the IDF&G regional office in Lewiston. Several years later, another grizzly bear was killed on Highway 12 by a motorcyclist. I believe that bear was also killed in Idaho.

You talking about the Kelly Creek bear? I know the guide that was there and finished that bear off. mtmuley

 

[PrairieHunter]

For those of you in Montana do you get the feeling that the people want a large griz population in the Western part of the state that connects to YNP?

I've noticed that seems to come up often now but never really was part of the goal for the YNP bears. I do not get the feeling that Wyoming really wants much of a griz population outside of YNP and surrounding areas much like is the case with wolves, but Montana is in a much different situation.

Will be interesting to see how this goes. One extreme could be open seasons outside certain areas in MT and WY, the opposite could be reintroduction of wolves and griz at RMNP with the goal to connect populations at YNP with those in Montana and no hunting. Colorado might actually support something like that.

 

[6mm Remington]

I went to the latest FWP meeting in Missoula and Montana officials were still looking at trying to de-list the Grizzly Bear in the northern rockies portion of their range around Glacier Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness area. This even after the hearing where the judge stopped the southern ecosystem bears from being de-listed in Wyoming, Idaho, and Southern Montana. The main crux of the stoppage of the de-listing is the fact that the bears supposedly have not had any connectivity to help with the mixing of genes of the bears. Apparently it does appear that they are very close to if not already have started making that connection.

Bears have been confirmed in the Rock Creek and Ambrose Creek area near Stevensville and Missoula. Grizzly Bears have been spotted in the John Long Mountains near Phillipsburg and just north of Drummond. There have been grizzly bears documented just of the Montana border into Idaho off of Highway 12, and bears are showing up quite frequently in the Nine Mile drainage just west of Missoula. It's a short hop across the Interstate into the Bitterroots and then to the south they go. Also grizzly bears are being observed in areas near Wisdom and Jackson Montana in the Big Hole Valley. These bears near Wisdom likely are bears from the Yellowstone area. Bears are frequenting areas to the east near the Augusta and Great Falls area and a grizzly bear had to be killed by wildlife officials in the White Sulpher Springs Montana area.

I feel it is time to de-list the bears as the populations are doing well and are obviously expanding. Very limited tags to allow hunting for the bears needs to happen.

David