Grizzly bears once roamed over most of North America west of the Mississippi. Within the last century grizzlies were reduced to a few remnant populations scattered through the Northern Rockies and Cascades. Two of the six remaining areas are in northwest Montana. The largest area straddles the continental divide from Canada south to near Missoula. Another area is near Libby in the Cabinet/Yaak. Scientists estimate 500-600 grizzlies currently live in northwest Montana. In 1975 grizzlies were listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Why do so few grizzlies now roam the lower 48 states? Mainly because people have moved into bear habitat. Population recovery is slow because grizzlies have a low reproductive rate. Recently, many bear deaths have resulted from people inadvertently attracting bears into areas where people live.
Grizzly Bear Facts
The grizzly's diet is mostly composed of plants and fruits.
Female grizzlies give birth and nurse their cubs in the den, and for the 5-6 months they're in the den they don't eat, drink or eliminate waste.
Twin cubs are born more often than single cubs; triplets are not uncommon.
On the average, it takes 12 years from birth for a grizzly to become a "grandmother", but only 4 years for a deer.
The oldest bear recorded in northwest Montana was 35 years old.
Grizzlies are not very social. Males roam the most, using areas from 600-1000 square miles. Females use areas up to 100 square miles. Grizzlies may travel 20-40 miles a day.
A grizzly can climb trees—over 20', run 44' per second, and swim across lakes and rivers.
A grizzly stands to get a better view, not as an aggressive display.
Grizzlies didn’t move from the plains into the mountains; they were eliminated from the plains, and only those populations in the mountains have survived.
Estimates are that about 35,000 grizzlies live in North America, mostly in Alaska, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Yukon. Over 100,000 are estimated to live in Asia.
Grizzly Confrontation
Grizzly bears are omnivores at the top of the food chain and their actions are often unpredictable. The actions you take when you see a grizzly bear may affect the outcome. No research has been conducted to determine the best course of action when a human is confronted by a grizzly bear.
The following is a list of recommended responses to minimize the likelihood of attack or chances of human injury.
First you should always maintain a safe distance and behave in a non-threatening manner. If you are close to the bear when you see it, or if the bear approaches, do the following:
Stay calm Drop something like your hat or gloves on the ground in front of you and slowly back away, speak in a soft monotone, and avoid eye contact. In most cases, the grizzly will leave. Don't climb a tree unless you are sure you can get at least 10' from the ground before the bear reaches you. Many experts recommend against climbing trees in most situations. Don't run—a grizzly can easily outrun the world's fastest human. Running triggers attacks.
If the bear charges your first option is to remain standing. The bear may "bluff charge" or run past you. As a last resort, assume a cannonball position and play dead. Leave your pack on to provide protection, cover your neck and head with your arms and hands, and curl up to protect your stomach. Do not attempt to look at the bear until you are sure it is gone. Many experts now recommend carrying a cayenne pepper spray for use in close encounters with grizzlies. This spray is available at sporting goods stores.
If you are armed use a weapon only as a last resort. Wounding a bear, even with a large caliber gun, can put you in far greater danger.
If a bear attacks at night when you are in your tent… the bear may be seeking food rather than trying to neutralize a threat, so fight back to show the bear you are dangerous.
Report all encounters to one of the agencies listed inside this brochure. Your report can prevent someone else from being hurt.
Outdoor Attractants
To reduce the risk of problems with bears on or near your property, we urge you to follow this list of simple precautions. Avoid attracting bears to your property.
Prevention is far better than confrontation!
Garbage
Garbage should be stored where bears can neither smell nor gain access to it, either in a bearproof container or inside a building that bears can't get into.
Use outside garbage cans for non-food items only.
Haul garbage to an approved disposal site as often as possible but at least once a week to avoid build-up of odors.
Remember: when bears eat garbage they may eventually have to be killed.
Fruits and vegetables
Fruit trees attract bears, especially when wild foods are scarce. Electric fencing is the most effective way to keep bears out of orchards. Pick all ripe fruit from trees and from the ground as soon as possible. Do not leave fruit on trees through the fall.
Vegetable gardens
Vegetable gardens also attract bears. Gardens should be located away from forests or shrubs, which bears use for security and travel; electric fencing is a good idea.
Although composting reduces the load of waste in landfills, the odors attract bears. If you do maintain a compost pile, use an electric fence to discourage bears. Don't put meat, grease, or bones in a compost pile. Consider an enclosed composter.
Livestock & pet food
Livestock & pet food should be stored in bear-proof containers, preferably inside a sturdy building that bears can't get inside. Cut down on spillage of oats and pellets by feeding from buckets or other containers, and don't leave leftover livestock food out overnight.
Dogs
Dogs and other pets should be kept inside at night. Don't leave uneaten pet food outside.
Sheep
Sheep are particularly easy prey for bears and should be closely herded. Pigs, and foods normally fed to pigs, are very attractive to bears. Consider electric fencing or not keeping pigs in bear country. Do not bury livestock. Haul them to a rendering plant or county landfill immediately. Bears will dig up carcasses.
Remember: when bears learn to kill livestock the bears usually have to be moved or destroyed.
Honey
Bears love honey and also seek bee larvae found in bee hives. You can protect the hives with electric fencing or by elevating the hives on platforms supported by metal poles that bears can't climb.
Bird feeders
Hummingbird feeders and suet can also attract bears. Feed suet only during the winter months, and suspend hummingbird feeders out of reach of bears.
Outdoor Precautions
Closely supervise your children when they are playing outdoors.
Make sure that children are home before dusk and are not outside before dawn. Talk with your children about bears and teach them what to do if they encounter one.
Remember:
If you find that bears have gotten into your garbage or livestock feed, remove the attractant immediately. Repeated use of a site by bears is much harder to stop than a single instance. Bears will move on if no attractants are present. Bears that associate food with humans and places humans live can become dangerous. These bears usually have to be trapped and relocated, or killed. Use common sense; it's in everyone's best interest!
PLEASE DO YOU PART. People and bears can live together.
Grizzlies Throughout the Year
In early spring, grizzlies emerge from their dens. After a week or two they begin to eat grass, various roots and winter-killed mammals. By May, more nutritious plants are available along creeks and in open areas created by snow slides. Grizzlies also eat elk calves and deer fawns in late spring. Bears usually mate in early June.
Most of a grizzly's summer is spent eating to regain weight lost during the previous winter. Berries form the bulk of their diet, with huckleberries preferred west of the divide and buffalo berries to the east. Bears start to eat berries at lower elevations by early July, and follow the berries upslope as they ripen.
Adults often gain 100 lbs in the last few months before denning. In the fall, bears may move back to the valleys to find food. Fall foods include mountain ash berries, and the bulbs and roots of various plants, like glacier lilies. If less food is available, bears tend to den earlier.
Grizzlies use their long claws to dig dens about eight feet horizontally into steep slopes and are usually settled in by mid-November. Snow seals the den and insulates it from cold air. Dens are usually above 6,000 feet elevation. Pregnant females and females with cubs den earlier (late October) and stay in the den longer.
In January, from one to three tiny cubs are born. Blind and covered only with fine hair, they weigh less than one pound at birth. Nursing on their mother's milk, they grow to weigh 15-20 lbs by the time they emerge from the den in early May. Cubs are raised entirely by their mother. They stay with their mother through the next two winters but are usually on their own at 2½ years when their mother is ready to breed again.
Out In Grizzly Country
Hikers:
Avoid traveling alone in grizzly country. Make lots of noise by talking, singing, or other means; this can be the key to avoiding encounters. Most bears will avoid humans when they know humans are present. Use caution in areas like berry patches where bears occur. Also, be cautious when you see signs of grizzly activity: tracks, droppings, diggings, and partly consumed animal carcasses.
Campers:
Camp away from trails and areas where you see grizzly sign. Keep a clean camp at all times, and avoid cooking smelly foods. Hang all food, trash and other odorous items well away from camp and at least 10' above ground and 4' from any vertical support, or store in a bear-proof container. Livestock feed should be treated the same as human food. Keep tents and sleeping bags free of odors. If possible, don't sleep in the same clothes you wore while cooking or eating.
Don't allow a grizzly to get a food reward and associate that reward with humans!
Hunters:
Follow the guidelines for hikers and campers. If you kill a game animal, immediately field dress the animal and move the carcass at least 100 yards from the gut pile. Gut piles can be easily slid on a small piece of visqueen plastic. If you must leave the carcass, hang it, in pieces if necessary, at least 10' above the ground. Leave the carcass where you can see it from a distance, and when you return, observe the carcass with binoculars before approaching. If a grizzly has claimed the carcass, leave the area and report the incident to the proper authorities. It's not worth risking your safety or the bear's safety.
Elk hunters should be aware that bugles and cow calls can attract bears. Stay alert! Many encounters between hunters and bears occur in dense brush.
Anglers:
Don't leave fish entrails on shorelines of lakes and streams. Sink entrails in deep water. If you don't properly dispose of entrails you increase danger to yourself and to the next person to use the area.
Grizzlies Tracks & Sign
Look for a combination of characteristics, as color and size are sometimes misleading.
Grizzly Characteristics
Grizzlies can be large and imposing but their size is often overestimated. In summer, adult males weigh about 400-500 lbs and females about 250-350 lbs. In general adult grizzlies are almost twice the size of adult black bears. Typically they measure 3-4' tall at the shoulder when on all four feet, and 6-8' tall standing upright. Their fur is often brown, tipped with blonde for a "grizzled" or silvertip appearance, which is how they got their name.
Black bears are often present in grizzly bear country of northwest Montana. You can't always tell a grizzly from a black bear by color: some grizzlies are quite dark and some black bears are sunbleached and light. Grizzlies are distinguished by their dished face, prominent shoulder hump, and long claws. Grizzly claws are usually light colored and at least 2? long.
Grizzly Tracks
Claws of adult grizzlies are rarely less than 1¾? long. Claws of black bears seldom exceed 1½?.
Grizzly Sign
Grizzly sign includes extensive digging, turned-over rocks, and ripped tree bark.
Grizzlies in Montana
In Montana, grizzlies are managed by the Montana Deptartment of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and tribal wildlife managers. Much of their habitat is managed by U.S. Forest Service and other public and tribal land management agencies. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee coordinates management and research activities.
Information Contacts:
For more information or to report bear observations:
Flathead National Forest
1935 Third Avenue East
Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 758-5200
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
490 North Meridian Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
(406) 752-5501
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered Species Field Office
P.O. Box 10023
Helena, MT 59626
(406) 449-5225
Glacier National Park
West Glacier, MT 59936
(406) 888-5441
