SEELEY LAKE - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) Bear Specialist Jamie Jonkel said a medium “dark phase” black bear has recently been breaking into around 10 different vacant trailers at night in the Seeley Lake area. FWP is working on trapping the bear and removing it upon capture.
The bear has been seen as far north as the northern turnoff to Boy Scout Road and as far south as Double Arrow. Since it does not stay in one area long, the bear has been difficult to pinpoint. It has learned to unlock camper doors by peeling the bottom of the door up and ripping the rest out.
Despite the results of these incidents, Jonkel said these occurrences are “kind of a good sign” that people in the area are cleaning up their attractants a little more. Bears that are conditioned to human food are becoming more desperate in their attempts and will begin breaking and entering into properties.
“It allows us to figure out which bears are the worst offenders and then we can target those bears and remove them,” he said.
Jonkel said they have not received any reports since Saturday, July 31. It is possible that the bear has resumed its normal feeding or has moved to a different area. Regardless, residents who see it breaking into a camper or are the victims of trailer damage are encouraged to report the incident at http://missoulabears.org.
“[It has hit] several trailers quite severely so any information we can get from the public on this bear would be good,” Jonkel said.
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