Wildlife agents captured and killed 14 black bears that had reportedly been deliberately fed on a property near Bozeman, Montana, and residents say the town is practically overrun with bears this year.
Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) announced Tuesday that the agency euthanized 14 bears captured on a property north of Bozeman last week.
A 15th bear, a young cub, was spared, and it’s hoped that it can be placed in a zoo, according to reports.
Wildlife officers are loath to kill bears, but the bears on that property were so hopelessly food-conditioned, there was no other option, FWP southwestern Montana spokesman Morgan Jacobsen told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, bear activity in and near Bozeman is off the charts this year, locals told Cowboy State Daily.
“They come and poop in my yard every night,” said Mike Clark, who lives downtown, just a couple blocks away from the Montana State University campus.
“For 10 nights during the last month, I’ve had to clean up other people’s garbage that bears have dragged into my yard,” he added.
Charges Could Be Pending
Jacobsen said the FWP Bozeman office in early September received a call about bears reportedly being deliberately fed.
After investigating, the state agency agrees.
“We believed that feeding at a residence was going on,” Jacobsen said.
Bears observed on the property were showing “everything classic with food conditioning," he added.
“Bears just not showing any fear of humans and other factors that really demonstrated they were very much conditioned to getting food around people,” he said.
Because the case is still under investigation and charges could be pending, he declined to reveal the exact location of the property or names of the owners.
Feeding wildlife is generally forbidden under Montana statutes. Penalties can include fines up to $1,000 and/or six months in jail and a loss of hunting and fishing privileges.
Under the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, a convicted person who loses hunting and fishing privileges in one state could stand to lose them in all 49 other states.
Fed Bears Are Dead Bears
Once bears are extremely food-conditioned, human safety becomes the primary concern, and options run out, Jacobsen said.
“Relocation is not an option for bears in that state, just because the tendency bears have to come back for the food,” Jacobsen.
Black bears are capable of crossing huge distances, as evidenced by a cub-of-the-year that in October 2024 trekked 120 miles through some of the most forbidding landscapes in Idaho to gorge itself in some backyard apple trees.
Clark, the former head of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition environmental group, said that when people feed bears, the bears end up losing.
The problems start when people think, “Oh, a bear is here; isn’t that nice? I’ll feed him so he’ll come back and we can watch him some more,” he said.
“I feel sorry for these bears, and it’s not their damn fault. They’re just being what they are,” he added.
Bozeman resident and avid outdoorsman Chaz Arthur told Cowboy State Daily that he’s saddened 14 black bears were killed, even though he understands FWP had no other choice.
“People who aren’t knowledgeable about wildlife and the ecosystem here, they do stupid things. And one stupid thing they do is feed bears,” he said.
Same Story As Everywhere Else
The situation with black bears in Bozeman mirrors that across the West.
With natural food sources lacking during an exceptionally dry year, bears have increasingly been showing up in or near towns and suburbs.
Colorado wildlife officials this year have euthanized nearly 300 black bears because of human-bear conflicts, roughly quadruple the usual amount.
“Bozeman and Livingston have certainly seen bear activity well above average,” Jacobsen.
Poor wild berry crops in some areas are driving bears into the lower country as they try to pile on fat for winter, he said.
And people leaving out “unsecured attractants” such as garbage and pet food certainly hasn’t helped, he added.
Clark said his backyard is wooded, and it’s not unusual for bears to show up there. He even has a few who return year after year.
But this year has been bonkers, he said.
On one recent occasion, he looked out his window and saw authorities chasing a mother bear and three cubs across his yard.
That was wild, but at least the bears looked healthy, he noted.
“They were beautiful, with slick coats,” he said.
Clark said he’s worried about somebody getting hurt and/or more bears being killed — and he blames human carelessness.
“I’ve got ignorant neighbors who, frankly, aren’t properly cleaning up their garbage,” he said. “Once those bears start getting into garbage, they’re basically committing suicide.”
Arthur said his parents’ rural property has seen a huge increase in bear activity and images of bears showing up on surveillance cameras.
Black bears and grizzlies have been busy this year, he said.
“Whenever we hunt or fish around here, we’re always taking guns and/or bear spray,” he said.
The family ranch in central Montana also has “tons of bears on it,” he said.
During black bear hunting season, “people get them so fast, the quota is filled, and the season ends early,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
