Another incident involving a grizzly bear attack in Montana should serve as a cautionary warning to people advocating for the reintroduction of grizzly bears into north-central Washington’s North Cascades region, but will anyone pay attention?
CBS News reported a sow grizzly with two cubs was shot by a hunter she chased up a tree and was subsequently killed by personnel from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) on Oct. 5. The incident happened in Gallatin County, and the hunter fired at the approaching bruin with a handgun before climbing to safety. The CBS report said he was hunting in the Hidden Lakes area.
Nationally recognized self-defense expert Massad Ayoob has acknowledged during at least one Gun Rights Policy Conference that defending one’s self could involve wild animal attacks, and not just defense against criminals.
Incidents such as this are worrisome to people living in the area where earlier this year, the Biden-Harris administration announced it was moving forward with a plan to reintroduce grizzlies, even against strong opposition from people living in the immediate area.
The effort will take place over an extended period, with three to seven bears per year transplanted over the course of five to 10 years to establish a population of 25 bears, according to KCPQ News in Seattle, the local Fox News affiliate.
The latest incident was preceded by September attack on a bowhunter in southeast Idaho’s Island Park area, just south of the Idaho-Montana border. In that incident, the hunter sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to NBC News, but he was bitten. The hunter and a partner both fired handguns at the bear, killing it. They called for help and the injured man was taken by helicopter to the hospital and treated.
This past April, another man was hunting for antler sheds along Wolf Creek, north and west of Helena, when he had to fatally shoot a grizzly on private land, according to FWP. He encountered the bear, which reportedly charged at him from a distance of 20 yards, and he fired five shots from a handgun when the bear was between 30 and 10 feet away. The man was not injured, and FWP said he was not carrying bear spray. This bear was also a sow with a single cub, which was subsequently captured and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Helena, with the intention of placing it in a zoo.
According to the Daily Montanan, the latest grizzly incident was the first for October and the first killed since Sept. 19. It was also the 24th known human-caused grizzly death this year.
As noted by the Outdoor Wire, FWP has advised hunters to:
- Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
- Watch for and be extra cautious around bear sign, creeks and areas with limited visibility. Most attacks happen in surprise, close encounters.
- Hunt with a group of people. This can help you make localized noise to alert bears to your presence, and it may also increase your chances of survival in the event of a bear attack.
- Be aware that elk calls and cover scents can attract bears.
- Bring the equipment and people needed to help field dress game and remove the meat from the kill site as soon as possible.
- If you need to leave part of the meat in the field during retrieval, hang it at least 10 feet off the ground and at least 150 yards from the gut pile. Leave it where it can be observed from a distance of at least 200 yards.
- Upon your return, observe the meat with binoculars. Make noise while approaching the meat. If it has been disturbed or if a bear is in the area, leave and call FWP.
- Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
So how does all of this figure in the Washington state controversy? Much of the area identified as the reintroduction zone is within the boundaries of the North Cascades National Park, and lands surrounding the park are primarily within the Okanogan-Wenatchee national forest. The area is popular for big game hunting, as well as summer hiking, backpacking, wilderness camping and trail riding.
But local residents opposed to the project repeatedly warned proponents and the agencies involved that grizzly bears, just like other predators, do not stay put. They will roam all over the region, looking for food.
Based on the recent experiences in Montana and Idaho, it is more than just conceivable that bear-human encounters will occur.
Perhaps not surprisingly, bear advocates primarily live outside the region. Ranchers particularly are concerned because the area has a long history of cattle ranching, and they are worried about conflicts and losses.
Some Evergreen State big game hunters are concerned that, over time, wildlife managers may start limiting hunting opportunities. The region is known for its mule deer hunting opportunities, but grizzly reintroduction—essentially in the wake of wolf reintroduction—is a major red flag because deer are the natural prey of predators.
The CBS News report noted, “Multiple bear attacks have been reported in Montana in recent months…In mid-August, a three-year-old girl was attacked by a black bear while she was in a tent at a private campground just north of Yellowstone National Park. A bear believed to be involved was captured and euthanized hours after the incident.”
This past July, a 72-year-old man killed a grizzly in Flathead County after it charged him while he was picking berries. That man was hospitalized after the attack, CBS News reported. FWP said the man was picking berries alone, and he also used a handgun to dispatch the attacking bruin.
Publicizing these incidents may be criticized by bear proponents as fear mongering, but they happened, and to the people involved, they’re not just scary stories.
About Dave Workman
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