Young grizzly bear killed on U.S. 93

A male grizzly bear cub was struck and killed on U.S. 93 near Ronan at Crow Creek last week.

The young grizzly bear — weighing about 100 pounds — was reported by a passing motorist on Wednesday.

Germaine White, a spokeswoman for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ wildlife management program, said this fall has been a particularly challenging one for managing bear conflicts, since the poor berry crop this year has forced bruins to wander into more populated areas as they search for food.

“Usually, chokecherries are available from September until the time the snow flies, and this year they were done by the end of August,” White said Monday. “They [bears] are trying to put on a ton of calories before they hibernate for the winter, so this is the time they are aggressively searching for food sources. They’re looking for fruit, and fruit trees along highways are an easy place, [including] apple trees started from cores thrown out of windows.”

According to Stacy Courville, a wildlife biologist with the tribal wildlife management program, at least 15 bears — including the grizzly bear — have been struck and killed on highways in the area this year.

“This has been a difficult year for bears and will likely continue to be difficult for bears until the snow flies,” Courville said.