CENTENNIAL VALLEY – Two anglers were reportedly charged by a grizzly bear Monday while they were fishing in Red Rock Creek on Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
The bear charged through thick brush, and one of the anglers shot at the bear in self-defense. Fortunately, the anglers were able to leave the area uninjured. It’s unknown whether the bear was injured.
Grizzly bear staff and game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks searched the area Wednesday. No bears or carcasses were found. No further management action from FWP is planned.
Refuge staff with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have issued a temporary closure of a section of Red Rock Creek for public safety. The closure includes the portion of the creek between Elk Lake Road and Upper Red Rock Lake. The closure will remain in effect through May 5. Stream access east of the road remains open, and Elk Springs Creek has no closures in effect.
Be bear aware
Montana is bear country. Grizzly bear populations continue to become denser and more widespread in Montana, increasing the likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year.
Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help residents, recreationists and people who work outdoors avoid negative bear encounters:
- Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it immediately.
- Travel in groups whenever possible and make noise, which can help alert bears to your presence.
- Stay away from animal carcasses, which often attract bears.
- Follow food storage orders from the applicable land management agency.
- If you encounter a bear, never approach it. Leave the area when it is safe to do so.
- Keep garbage, bird feeders, pet food and other attractants put away in a secure building. Keep garbage in a secure building until the day it is collected. Certified bear-resistant garbage containers are available in many areas.
- Never feed wildlife. Bears that become food conditioned lose their natural foraging behavior and pose threats to human safety. It is illegal to feed bears in Montana.
Though they have reached recovery levels in the Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone ecosystems, grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Management authority for grizzlies rests with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, working closely in Montana with FWP, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey, Wildlife Services, and Native American tribes. This collaboration happens through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
