Wildlife officials say removing bear attractants a matter of safety

In the fall, mountain town residents’ thoughts turn to bears and how to avoid contact with them. Making space for bears is so important, and Gov. Greg Gianforte has proclaimed September as Bear Aware Month.

While bear activity is typically higher in the spring and the fall, being bear aware is important year-round. 

“I’ve never had so many calls about bears on porches as I did this spring in Whitefish,” Justine Vallieres, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife conflict specialist said. “Ideally, it would be good for people to be in the habit of consistently securing attractants.”  

Some of the most popular bear attractants locally include trash, bird feeders and fruit trees. Whitefish recently obtained bear-resistant trash bins that, when properly used, are helping reduce the number of bears getting into trash. 

However, bird feeders on porches have led to a record number of calls to Vallieres because bears enjoy the seeds and return for more. 

Nine times out of ten, they're going up there because they’ve gotten bird feeder rewards,” Vallieres said. 

Continued availability of food trains the bears to look for food on porches.  

“Food anchors them to a place,” Vallieres said. “They move around a lot, they have big home ranges, but when they get food rewards, it anchors them in a spot. The idea is to keep them moving.” 

The change of season also brings apples and other tree fruits. Several sources offer help to residents to pick fruit trees.  

The North Valley Food Bank’s Harvest Fest on Sept. 14 will harvest fruit from trees in the Whitefish city limits. The annual FWP Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center fruit drive is Sept. 16-20, and Flathead Fruit Gleaning has a Facebook page dedicated to helping people pick fruit from trees.

If a bear does appear on a resident’s property, state wildlife officials suggest banging pots and pans, yelling or using air horns to move the bear along. Vallieres said the human voice is often the best deterrent as most bears do not want to deal with people. 

It is also important to call Vallieres at Fish, Wildlife and Parks as soon as possible after an incident with a bear. The sooner they know about it, the quicker they can respond to prevent future conflicts by giving the bear a chance to stay out of trouble. 

Vallieres emphasized that euthanizing bears is a last resort for her team. Residents who believe they are helping the bear by not calling the bear specialists are doing the bear a disservice and may be contributing to the bear’s demise in the long run. 

It is also a good idea to talk to neighbors, wildlife officials say. If they are not securing attractants or if they are feeding wildlife, their actions can cause problems for everybody. It is illegal to feed wildlife of any kind, yet many people in Whitefish feed deer. Since feeding wildlife can lead to illness, animals are being killed with kindness. 

Vallieres said that bears will always come through town. 

"The idea is, we don't want to anchor them with food rewards. The less we can have, the better,” she said. “It really is about keeping people safe and also conserving our wildlife.” 

Nearby bear aware events include:

The Columbia Falls Community Market will host a Bear Aware event on Sept. 12, from 5-8 p.m. 

A discussion about how to avoid attracting bears to your property, “Smarter than the Average Bear,” with Ryan Wilbur of People and Carnivores will be held at the Center for Native Plants on Thursday, Sept. 26. 

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear or visit the Bear Aware playlist on YouTube. 

For more information about help with fruit gleaning, visit northvalleyfoodbank.org or call Vallieres (406) 250-1265.