Grizzly population east of Butte MT

[noisy]

Again, I don’t mind being in an area where grizzlies are known to be, I’ve just heard horror stories of places where grizzlies are everywhere and likely to come in contact with you, especially if you get an animal down

East of Butte is not like that. Expect griz to be few and far between in that area.

 

[bsims01]

Lucky! We were at glacier earlier this year and didn’t see any. I was hoping for that experience and didn’t see anything other than a mule deer.

 

[grfox92]

Another question to add on…is being in griz country a different thing in mid November compared to late spring or early fall? I imagine they are on their way into the den, especially if it’s getting snow.

Again, I don’t mind being in an area where grizzlies are known to be, I’ve just heard horror stories of places where grizzlies are everywhere and likely to come in contact with you, especially if you get an animal down

Being in grizzly country in November will be very different then being there in the spring.

I have learned that the densities of bears in particular areas or drainages in the fall directly correlates with how many carcases are in that area. In November I'd imagine there are are alot of carcases in areas frequented by hunters.

For example last weekend I shot a cow in an area very popular for late season cow tags. Theu give out hundreds of cow tags because there are several hundred elknin several different hearts. One heard had 1200 in it 2 weeks ago.

Anyway I shot a cow up around 10500 feet by myself. Quarted, deboned and shuttle the meat 300 yards from the carcass. I packed both shoulders, straps and loins out in one trip in a blizzard, just before sundown.

Hiked in the next morning, all my remaining meat was gone, the head was gone and the carcass had been dragged 250 yards from where it layed. Not 1 but 4 different bears were on my meat cache and carcass within 12 hours of killing her. Those 4 bears were concentrated in that drainage because guys have been killing cows in there every day for the last month. If it was September, and nothing had died in that drainage yet, I bet there would have been 1 bear in that drainage and my meat would have still been there.

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[Lou432]

Grizzlies are expanding in Montana's GYE Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which blankets the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest east of Butte around Haystack Mountain. No solid population count for that exact pocket maybe a handful of dispersers or residents amid the statewide 800 but documented sightings and research captures like in the Madisons Gravellies show they're there. Encounters aren't common like in Glacier low density means rare runins, but they're expected enough that FWP/FS push bear spray hard two hunter charges just this fall in SW MT, unharmed but close calls. Carry spray, make noise, store food right you'll likely never see one, but respect the possibility

 

[Neckbone]

A lot of great info here and I appreciate it. Not sure MT is going to happen 2026 or not, but I like the looks of the area. Successfully hunted the breaks area last year and looking to switch it up a bit for MT.