GREAT FALLS — Since 2017, there has been an increase in grizzly bear reports in the Little Belts Mountains southeast of Great Falls, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks wants to make sure that everyone is staying safe.
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David Kemp, grizzly bear management specialist with FWP, said, “We've had bears moving off of the Rocky Mountain front out of the Northern Continental Divide ecosystem for several years now. And they're expanding east, more into central Montana.”
Kemp wants to make sure the people of the Little Belts are aware that grizzly bears are in the area.
Kemp said, “We want the public to be educated on what they should do when they encounter a grizzly bear. We're particularly interested in preventing human bear conflicts."
He says to make sure there are no attractants on your property for bears, such as unsecured trash or ripe fruit trees.
Kemp said, “We don't want the bear to come by your place, find something it wants to eat there that's available to them, learns that [it] is available there, and then it repeatedly sticks around.”
John Juras has a cabin in the Little Belts, and knows his fair share about bear encounters.
He noted, “In the Little Belts I've had black bear encounters. In the Rocky Mountain Front, I've had numerous grizzly bear encounters.”
Juras stays mindful of the bears, keeping himself hazard-free, and staying calm when he comes across them.
Juras said, “The key is you don't want to panic. You want to act cool and be confident.”
And, if Juras is being honest, he does not mind others being afraid of the animals.
Juras said, “I actually think it's great that there are bears in the Little Belts. Gives me more quiet and peace on the trails.”
In the current conditions, Kemp expects bear populations to continue spreading east, especially as waterways coming off the Rocky Mountain Front flow east themselves.
Click here to learn more about being "bear aware."
