Grizzly bear deaths are near average

So far this year, 20 grizzly bears have died from human causes in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. An additional female was found dead of natural causes.

That's on par with the 10-year average of 19 bears a year, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator Chris Servheen.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps track of grizzly bear mortality in the region as part of an effort to keep track of the population. The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem is an 8 million acre swath of land that stretches from Glacier National Park south to the Blackfoot River on both sides of the Continental Divide.

To date, 16 male grizzlies and four females have died by human causes, Servheen said. Two females were illegal kills, and one was killed in a self-defense incident with a person. One female was trapped and transplanted to the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem, which is not a mortality but is a "removal" from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.

Female mortalities are of particular concern because it takes several years to replace a breeding female in the population. Males, however, have a much broader range and will mate with several females if given the chance.

This year, FWS has also begun tallying reported natural deaths, Servheen noted.

"We count them all," he said. "We're going to keep track of all mortalities we know about."

Male grizzly bear deaths varied this year. Two were killed illegally, six were killed through management removals - bears that are removed after they get into trouble with people, usually by destroying property to get at food or by eating livestock. The remainder died of other causes, including one male grizzly killed by a train. In past years, trains have killed several grizzly bears.

Bears have shown an affinity for chickens this year. As more people raise chickens, bears are finding them to their liking. Two grizzly bears blamed for killing more than 100 chickens at a home near Lake Five were caught and relocated to the Hungry Horse Reservoir area by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park bear specialists this summer. Those bears were not killed, however.

Transplanting bears into the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem has been successful, Servheen said. About 40 to 45 bears inhabit the ecosystem, and most are related to bears that have been transplanted to the region over the years.

Hunting season can be a challenging time for grizzlies. The bears need to put on an extra few pounds before hibernation, and run-ins with hunters are not uncommon. Cold weather with snow will have most bears denning up in coming weeks, but some males, particularly in the North Fork of the Flathead, spend less time in dens and live on mountain lion or wolf kills and gut piles left by hunters through the winter.