MISSOULA — On Monday morning, a viewer recorded cell phone video of a black bear in the Missoula Valley.
As we've previously reported, it is not uncommon to see bears in the valley during this time of the year.
In early October, KPAX shared information from state wildlife officials stating, at the time, they had received an increasing number of reports of bears in the Missoula, Bitterroot and Blackfoot valleys.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks encourages people to be "bear aware" as bear activity typically increases in the fall as the animals are on the lookout for food in preparation for hibernation.
While covering the increase in bear activity in October, state wildlife experts shared important information about protecting your property and your neighbors. “Bears are in hyperphagia right now and will continue to come down into our valleys over the next month, looking for food as they prepare for winter, so it’s an extra critical time to keep everything picked up around our houses,” said FWP bear management specialist Jamie Jonkel. “Given the number of bears in these areas, it really is up to each of us to take preventative measures to stay safe. If there’s an unsecured food item out there, it is best to assume that a bear will find it.”
When it comes to protecting your property, FWP shared the following guidance on their website:
Avoid Attracting Bears to Your Property
- Garbage
- Store garbage in an IGBC-certified bear resistant bin in a secure location
- Keep garbage and recycling in a secured building at all times
- Put garbage and recycling out only on collection day.
- Pet food, bird feeders and bird seed, or BBQ’s.
- If feeding pets outside, feed only during the day and clean up spilled or uneaten food
- Avoid feeding birds during active bear season. Consider using bird houses, bird baths, and native vegetation instead
- Clean BBQs thoroughly after use
- Fruit-bearing trees and bushes, gardens, and compost piles
- Pick fruit immediately once it is ripe.
- Store all picked fruits and vegetables inside a secure building
- Consider installing an electric fence around fruit trees and gardens.
- Livestock
- Store livestock feed in a secure building
- Secure vulnerable livestock (chickens, goats, sheep) with an electric fence.
FWP has more information about how people can be "bear aware" at https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear/be-bear-aware.
