Hunters receive ominous warning as fall season gets underway
Montana wildlife officials have cautioned hunters, as the fall pheasant season gets underway, that they should anticipate grizzly bear encounters.
Early snowstorms have driven bears from higher elevations in a desperate search for food before the impending hibernation season. This has placed more animals, particularly in western Montana, in prime hunting areas.
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“This autumn is like no other I can remember in many years,” Mike Madel, a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist, stated in a news release. “Grizzly bears are actively moving, searching for natural foods lost in the two recent snowstorms on the Front.”
In a separate news release, also issued before Saturday’s pheasant opener, FWP wildlife management specialist Jamie Jonkel said the potential for bear conflicts does not just involve pheasant hunters.
“Mountain grouse hunters, upland game bird hunters – when you get out of trucks and creep into primo hunting grounds, in the back of your mind a light should come on saying, ‘I wonder if there’s a grizzly in there feeding on the lovely rose hips, chokecherries or hawthorn berries,’ ” Jonkel said.
“Even waterfowl hunters, the guys that like the potholes and the little sloughs along the Clark Fork River – everyone should be thinking grizzly bears.”
Grizzly bear populations, in general, have expanded into areas the animals have not occupied for decades, including prairies and valleys far from the Rocky Mountain Front.
“What puts bears in potential conflict with bird hunters this time of year is their search for food in anticipation of winter hibernation,” a news release stated. “Grizzlies often follow streams and river bottoms that offer shade, protection and food. These are the same places hunters target for birds.”
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FWP added that hunters can lessen the chance of an attack if they carry bear spray and know how to use it properly. Hunters should leave an area if they see fresh signs of bear activity, and make noise to avoid surprise encounters.
If they do encounter a bear, hunters should speak calmly while slowly backing away, and be prepared to deploy bear spray.
Lastly, they should always let somebody know where they’ll be hunting.