Hungry for lambchops: Mutton-eating grizzly relocated

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel have relocated a mutton-eating grizzly bear from the Lincoln area to an area on the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The bear killed two domestic lambs near Flescher Pass, southeast of Lincoln. The 350-pound male was collared and moved to the Baptiste drainage on the Flathead National Forest.

Jim Williams, the Region One wildlife manager, said male bears often return to their home ranges, even long-distance relocations.

“But it buys time to clean up the attractants at the conflict site,” he said, adding that discouraging the bear in this case may involve installing electric fencing.

It was the bear’s first offense with livestock, so it was relocated with hopes that it will regain focus on natural food sources.

“Huckleberries are coming on good so we’re seeing a drop in bear conflicts,” Williams said. “They are still going on, but the overall conflict load is dropping.”

Things will change when the huckleberry crop perishes.

“It will end abruptly, and we’ll see a rise in conflicts,” Williams said.