(UPDATE, 3 p.m.) Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear management specialist Mike Madel confirmed the grizzly bear killed near Augusta on April 13 was shot.
Madel told MTN News the shooting occurred at a ranch west of Augusta.
A 2-year-old, unmarked male grizzly with no previous problems was killed, according to Madel.
We will update you with any new information.
(1st Report, 1:20 p.m.) A landowner near Augusta killed a grizzly bear on April 13.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks did not release any other details except that the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Officials warned people, however, to be bear aware as grizzlies are out of their dens along the Rocky Mountain Front.
They advised removing or securing attractants such as livestock feed, bird feeders, pet food, garbage, spilled grain and livestock carcasses.
“Many bears are out,” stated Mike Madel, FWP bear management specialist. “Even the females that gave birth in the dens this winter are out of their dens.”
Madel added there are several bears down from the Front and even east of Highway 287.
“They have been coming around cabins and have gotten into livestock feed. But we’ve had no reports of depredations on livestock to date,” he said.
Recreationists, including shed antler hunters, should carry bear spray and know how to use it, according to FWP officials.
They advised that if a grizzly charges, point the spray slightly down and start spraying right before the bear gets 30 feet away.
- Grizzly walks by Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest survey spot
- FWP: Grizzlies are out on the Rocky Mountain Front
- Teenager survives bear attack south of Ennis
- First grizzly bear sighting of 2019 reported in Yellowstone National Park
- Grizzly euthanized after killing calves in the Helmville Valley
