Specialists track Condon griz

JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

It seemed like a relatively calm year for grizzly bear conflicts until about three weeks ago.

That's when bear management specialist Tim Manley started roaming from Condon to Eureka, rounding up troublesome grizzlies.

It started in early September with a series of cabin break-ins in the Condon area. Besides pushing in doors, breaking windows and pushing over refrigerators, the culprit left telling paw prints, hair and blood from glass cuts.

Based on a genetic analysis of blood and hair, the same bear is believed responsible for 10 break-ins at unoccupied residences in the Swan Valley. And it has been genetically linked to a break-in at the Basin Creek Forest Service cabin in the Bob Marshall Wilderness last year. A culvert trap is currently set near the cabin most recently visited by the bear.

"We know which bear it is, based on the DNA … But we have not captured it yet," Manley said. "It was captured in 2004 as part of a research project. When it was caught, he was estimated to be 18, so he's probably 20 plus now."

Manley has captured four other grizzly bears and two black bears in culvert traps set for the break-in bear. All of those bears had to be held for several days, to determine if their DNA matched the identity of the responsible bear. None did, and they have all since been released in remote locations.

Manley said the fate of the break-in bear is certain: "He will be removed" from the population.

That's what happened to the last bear that was responsible for multiple break-ins.

"We had a bear up the North Fork in 1998 that broke into 17 cabins in a week and a half," Manley said. "It took a while to catch him, but we caught him and euthanized him."

Most recently, Manley was busy with a female grizzly with three cubs that were ranging in open fields less than 1 1/2 miles from the town of Eureka. The bears had been getting into fruit trees and they were seen close to homes.

Manley captured them one-by-one over a three-night period and moved them to the Coal Creek drainage on the east side of the Whitefish Divide.

"We felt that they were starting to feel more comfortable around houses, and we thought it was best to try to capture the whole family group and get them out of there," Manley said.

Since starting bear management work in the Flathead area in 1993, Manley has captured an average of 15 management bears per year. So far this year he's captured 16.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com