“It was the craziest year on record with black bears in many places in Region 2,” said Jamie Jonkel, Wildlife Management Specialist, Region 2 Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).
Due to environmental conditions, there was a food failure for black bears in most of Western Montana.
“It was one of those food failure summers that we see every 7-12 years,” Jonkel said. “Sometimes it’s a hard winter for the deer population. This year it was a hard summer for black bears.”
Ten or more bears were still known to be wandering around East Missoula and West Riverside in mid-November, said Jonkel in a phone interview. “We saw bears doing things we’ve never seen before. Entering houses, breaking and entering regularly, opening car doors and wandering around downtown in Missoula, Hamilton and St. Regis.”
The black bear population took a hit this year with over 10 bears euthanized for management reasons. It was also a bumper harvest from black bear hunting. Jonkel said between 55 and 65 black bears were hit on highways. Numerous bears were trapped and relocated this season.
“Sadly, next year the bears have all this new memory, and we’ll be seeing bears repeating behaviors,” Jonkel said. “Eventually that memory will change, unless the drought continues.”
This year the bear management team had to prioritize the use of bear traps, having up to 10-12 people requesting a trap at a time. The rattlesnake area and northern Missoula had 50-60 bears. FWP has five traps in the Blackfoot, five in Missoula, two in the Clark Fork area and two in the Upper Clark Fork.
Many grizzly bears spent the summer in the mountains, Jonkel said. Earlier this year, the Billings Gazette reported that Army Cutworm Moths congregate on high mountain peaks in the summer, possibly seeking cooler temperatures - the fatty bugs are considered one of the most energy-rich sources of food for grizzly bears and other species. It has been estimated one bear may consume as many as 40,000 moths a day.
Because of the food failure situation, some black bear sows started abandoning cubs in early October, Jonkel said. Sows had to prioritize who was going to survive. Looking ahead, Jonkel predicts people will see orphan cubs. If people see orphan cubs, they should call the Missoula FWP office, Jonkel said, at 406-542-5500. Do not feed them, as that perpetuates the problem of human-dependent bears.
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