Twenty Years of Human-Grizzly Bear Conflict Management in Northwest Montana

Abstract

This paper examines and summarizes twenty years of human-grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) conflicts and management actions in northwest Montana from 1993 through 2012. Initial responses to the reported conflicts usually involved identifying the attractant and securing or removing the attractant. In many situations, the decision was made to trap and capture the grizzly bear. A total of 193 individual grizzly bears were captured 344 times in management actions which ranged from grizzly bears frequenting yards to grizzly bears breaking into cabins. When grizzly bears were captured their fate depended upon their age, sex, level of conflict, and classification based on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Guidelines. Grizzly bears were released on-site, translocated, or removed from the population. Translocations included long distance out of home range moves to short distance moves within the home range. Aversive conditioning techniques were tried involving the use of bean bag and rubber bullet rounds, cracker shells, and Karelian Bear dogs. New technology such as remote cameras, automated traps, and use of DNA were also used on this project. The success or failure of the different management actions is discussed and recommendations are made for future human-grizzly bear conflict management actions.