Here we go again. MT Grizz re-introduction

[Jake Larsen]

After 31 Years, Feds Move Ahead with Plans to Introduce Grizzlies to Bitterroot Mountains

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks for public comment on a plan to recover grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana and Idaho.

www.outdoorlife.com

Just what MT needs. More mountain ranges overrun with Grizz!!

Public comment period is coming. We need to make our voices heard! Feels like it won’t make any difference, especially after the debacle in CO, but we have to try I guess.

We’ve just had the whole discussion on the idiocy of introducing an apex predator that cannot be managed. Just wanted to get the word out that this proposal is in the works.


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[Wyo_hntr]

I can't wrap my mind around why they would spend time, money, and manpower to do something that will occur naturally with the passage of time. The bears are expanding their range naturally, just like the wolves did.

 

[Pony Soldier]

The ugly part is this is the public side. Now comes the the other side where they just appear. Sent by God by way of a USFWS truck and trailer. At night!

 

[ianpadron]

The ugly part is this is the public side. Now comes the the other side where they just appear. Sent by God by way of a USFWS truck and trailer. At night!

I've heard several credible reports of exactly that

 

[Jake Larsen]

I can't wrap my mind around why they would spend time, money, and manpower to do something that will occur naturally with the passage of time. The bears are expanding their range naturally, just like the wolves did.

The subject has been beat to death. But there’s way more bears than they let on, and in far more areas than they will ever admit publicly.


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[Pony Soldier]

The drive is for a migration corridor between Glacier and Yellowstone. The tough part is there isn't any favorable habitat. The only food to eat are beef calves and tourists. Even got the local warden to agree. I have never seen anything that even hints of grizzly occupation in the last two centuries. Not even Lewis and Clark. They darn near starved going through this country to the Snake.

Is it wrong to tell the tourists that the only true bear repellant is bacon grease rubbed into your pants?

 

[a_noob_hunter]

Please leave a comment for us bitterrooters. We've already got griz up in the west side (bitterroots) and there isnt habitat to support more. Alot of canyons and steep terrain that doesnt support just alot of life. In addition to that the west side gets alot of foot traffic. Alot of people go huckleberry picking in the summer and there will be some nasty interactions. The biologists claim that there arent grizzlies in the sapphires to the east of the bitterroot valley but I came across this in september while elk hunting. Not sure what else it could be.

Ive seen alot of threads about hunters needing to unite. Especially considering we are losing in Colorado. Take a few minutes and lets work together and post some comments about grizzly reintroduction. Like it or not the antis on there posting comments as well.

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[Wyo_hntr]

The subject has been beat to death. But there’s way more bears than they let on, and in far more areas than they will ever admit publicly.


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Oh I believe it. My question is what is the driving force for this predator infatuation with the feds (and leftists in Colorado)?

Do they want more large predators to discourage people from venturing into wild places? Do they want more predators as a "see we don't need hunters, we have wolves, lions, and grizzlies"? Or is there no reason other than there's money to spend and they have to spend it on something?

I don't know, but it's getting old.

 

[bmac1]

Is it possible breeding females just don't like the area for whatever reason.

 

[TylerTheTerrible]

In 2022, FWP relocated 2 bears in the Bitterroot valley to the Sapphires. They were in the area from August til October when they were moved...

 

[Wingnutty]

There is no food. The habitat is not suitable. Will a few bears tough it out in that country? Yes, and they already are. Add more bears and they will end up in the valley with the people.

The leeches at the usfws upper levels and within these democratic administrations who push this shit and make decisions behind closed doors are seriously what is wrong with the gov. The decision has already been made, they will do this.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Do they want more large predators to discourage people from venturing into wild places? Do they want more predators as a "see we don't need hunters, we have wolves, lions, and grizzlies"?

I don't know, but it's getting old.

I think it’s both those things. You gotta give the anti hunter lib types this much, they know how to win a political fight. As of right now, they can’t get hunting outright banned.

However, If our wilderness areas are just “too dangerous” in the fall, they can close those areas. It’s already happened three times in the last couple years that I’m aware of. Certain drainages were closed to the public in Madison range and the Gravellys due to active bears. It’s a back door way of accomplishing their goal

For non hunters, the best argument for hunting in general is the N. American model of wildlife management. Hunters manage game populations and simultaneously fund the management programs. This creates a culture that drives future interest, and the cycle continues. For someone NOT interested in hunting themselves, but cares about having wild places and these animals on the landscape, this is really the only compelling argument for keeping hunting around. If these large predators go unchecked on the landscape, there’s a somewhat legitimate argument that hunting isn’t necessary anymore. There’s already lots of practical precedent for this. Many tag numbers have been cut and hunts stopped in the greater Yellowstone area because the herds have been decimated by wolves. The world famous Deckard flats hunt out of the North border of the Park by Gardiner is a thing of the past. They couldn’t get it shut down in a fair fight, but they can “bring balance to the ecosystem and restore the natural order of things" by bringing wolves in. It's an easy sell with the city slicker types as we've clearly seen. Then they lie profusely about how quickly they've reproduced, how many there are, and where they've moved to. Once the public have finally realized the issue, and they cant hide behind either lying or incompetent biologists, they can just block any sort of reasonable biology based management by using federal judges to sue. in MT, this stopped the management plans for an additional 5-10 years. By that time, the damage is done and hunting is significantly reduced or gone, in the affected areas. I think these anti hunting activists have seen this as their most successful tactic of the last 20-30 years, and they are now trying to implement on as wide a scale as possible. If successful, they can start to bring a more compelling argument to the general public that hunting is no longer required to manage wildlife.


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[Jake Larsen]

There is no food. The habitat is not suitable. Will a few bears tough it out in that country? Yes, and they already are. Add more bears and they will end up in the valley with the people.

The leeches at the usfws upper levels and within these democratic administrations who push this shit and make decisions behind closed doors are seriously what is wrong with the gov. The decision has already been made, they will do this.

Unfortunately I completely agree. Seems like these deals are made behind closed doors, and the public comment is nothing but a formality. But we have to try


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[tdhanses]

I’d rather see more Grizz released into areas than wolves.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I’d rather see more Grizz released into areas than wolves.

Wait until you’re routinely having interactions with Grizz on all your hunts. And personally know people who have been mauled or had to shoot bears. Then comes the federal investigators knocking on your door. Not chewed up enough? Can’t verify all of your story? Hello one year in prison and a $50,000 fine. There are WAY more bad hunter interactions than are publicly acknowledged.

Also, bears are very very hard on ungulate populations. Especially fawns. It all plays into the larger picture agenda. Wolves, lions, bears.


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[Wyo_hntr]

Then comes the federal investigators knocking on your door. Not chewed up enough? Can’t verify all of your story? Hello one year in prison and a $50,000 fine.

This is the major issue with Grizzlies in the lower 48.

People matter more than bears. People should be able to DLP a griz without fear of being sent to prison or fined into bankruptcy. It's insanity.

 

[Jake Larsen]

This is the major issue with Grizzlies in the lower 48.

People matter more than bears. People should be able to DLP a griz without fear of being sent to prison or fined into bankruptcy. It's insanity.

Sure is a good way to keep hunters out of the field…Which is exactly why the antis push the bear agenda so hard. Keeping them from being de-listed is vital to that plan. There’s more to it than keeping them from being hunted.


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[mt100gr.]

I’d rather see more Grizz released into areas than wolves.

I'm so sick of grizzlies in NW MT. This last season, once we finally had some snow on the ground, there were multiple sets of fresh tracks every single day. Wandering the roads and trails hoping to cut a trail where someone dragged or packed out a deer/elk. I know of at least 6 game animals that were lost to bears this past season, and that's from stories relayed from only 4 people. One guys group lost 3 cow elk to 3 different bears in one area.

I lost half of my deer to a grizzly that picked up my track at the trailhead and followed it back over 3.5 miles. I was back there in less than 12 hours to finish packing out and the bastard had drug the gut carcass and the quarters, that I'd stashed a good distance away, into one pile and was camped out on it. He was honky as hell, too. I yelled at him from about 200 yards and he jumped up like he was ready to fight anything and everything. I went back to sniff around around Christmas, 3 or so weeks later, and still cut 4 different sets of grizzly tracks. Around that same time, we had one wander through our yard, too.

Thankfully I have some private ground to hunt in central MT for my daughters to enjoy. They won't go in the woods with me around home.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I'm so sick of grizzlies in NW MT. This last season, once we finally had some snow on the ground, there were multiple sets of fresh tracks every single day. Wandering the roads and trails hoping to cut a trail where someone dragged or packed out a deer/elk. I know of at least 6 game animals that were lost to bears this past season, and that's from stories relayed from only 4 people. One guys group lost 3 cow elk to 3 different bears in one area.

I lost half of my deer to a grizzly that picked up my track at the trailhead and followed it back over 3.5 miles. I was back there in less than 12 hours to finish packing out and the bastard had drug the gut carcass and the quarters, that I'd stashed a good distance away, into one pile and was camped out on it. He was honky as hell, too. I yelled at him from about 200 yards and he jumped up like he was ready to fight anything and everything. I went back to sniff around around Christmas, 3 or so weeks later, and still cut 4 different sets of grizzly tracks. Around that same time, we had one wander through our yard, too.

Thankfully I have some private ground to hunt in central MT for my daughters to enjoy. They won't go in the woods with me around home.

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Amen to that. If I could choose to remove wolves or bears from SW Montana, I’d choose bears. Wolves affect the hunting worse, but bears are a serious risk to life in a lot of areas. I’m willing to accept risk, but it’s getting really bad in some drainages.


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[brian wagar]

Just a few years back they trapped what they thought was a black bear on the Whitetail golf course, turned out it was a Grizzly so apparently, they are here we need no more!