Two grizzlies die this summer

By LAURA ROADY

For the Herald

Two grizzly bears have died this year in the region. A young male grizzly bear was killed at the Yaak Falls Campground in late May and the incident is under investigation by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A three-year-old female grizzly bear was found dead in the North Fork of Ross Creek in the west Cabinet Mountains. Telemetry flights by the USFWS picked up the mortality signal from a collar in early June. Once located by foot, the grizzly bear was largely decomposed.

The predator is unknown but biologists found large puncture wounds in the skull suggesting predation as the cause of death but they could have occurred after the bear was dead.

The remote location of the bear in Ross Creek and other factors at the site have led biologists to believe the death was not human related according to the 2015 Summer Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk Mountains Grizzly Bear Ecosystems Update.

Several bears have been trapped this summer according to the summer update. In late June, a three-year-old male grizzly bear was captured in the Cabinet Mountains. The 175-pound grizzly was collared and has moved as far south as Rock Creek and the West Fisher Creek.

Trapping in the Selkirk Mountains yielded four grizzly bears for collaring. One of the grizzly bears was a five-year-old, 215-pound male captured north of Upper Priest Lake. The other three grizzly bears were females captured north of Highway 3 in British Columbia. One of the bears was already wearing a collar so the collar was replaced.

Currently, six bears are being monitored in the U.S. Selkirk Mountains, 12 bears in the British Columbia Selkirk Mountains and seven bears in the Yaak River area.

Trapping for an augmentation bear for the Cabinet Mountains has been halted in the South Fork of the Flathead River because of the hot weather. Trapping will commence when conditions are more favorable according to the report.

More trapping to radio-collar grizzly bears is planned for the Cabinet-Yaak and the Selkirk Mountains as weather and fire conditions allow.

Trapping in the Yaak River area is expected through September and trapping in the Selkirk Mountains near the international border is planned for July and August.

In areas where trapping is occurring, signs will be posted to alert the public to the activity.