GREAT FALLS — After receiving final authorization from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, a male grizzly bear was euthanized Wednesday after a series of calf depredations across five ranches in the Dupuyer area.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks said in a news release that the six-year old bear weighing nearly 450 pounds was first tagged as a non-target capture east of Dupuyer in 2019, and bear managers identified it this Spring by images collected on game cameras set at depredation sites.
Despite repeated attempts, they were unable to trap the bear and it was shot when it returned to feed on one of the depredations along Dupuyer Creek on Wednesday evening.
FWP said that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service authorized providing the bear to Blackfeet Tribal Fish & Wildlife, where it will be distributed among approved tribal members for cultural purposes.
Grizzly bears are still protected under the Endangered Species Act, and final authority regarding their management is up to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Landowners may haze grizzly bears off their property from the safety of a hard-sided vehicle or with loud noises, provided the federally protected animal is not harmed in the process.
If you see a bear near your residence in central or north central Montana, you're asked call Wesley Sarmento at 406-450-1097, Chad White at 406-788-4755, or your nearest FWP office.
- Grizzly bears in and around Choteau and Augusta
- One grizzly killed, another relocated after killing cattle
- Grizzly bears emerging from dens
- Three grizzly bears relocated by FWP
- 2 grizzly bears relocated after calf killed
- FWP relocates three grizzly bears
