Gardiner – Syndication Server

Grizzly bear euthanized on Yellowstone River outside park

The adult male grizzly bear, implicated in several home and vehicle break-ins, was shot near the Montana town of Gardiner.

Montana authorities on Thursday shot and killed an adult male grizzly bear on the Yellowstone River just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks explained in a news release that the bear had become conditioned to unsecured food items in Gardiner and was implicated in several home and vehicle break-ins.

Repeated efforts by Fish, Wildlife & Parks and other agencies to trap and remove the bear were unsuccessful.

The bear was killed, FWP stated, because “the wide availability of unsecured attractants, combined with the bear being active almost exclusively at night, limited opportunities to remove the animal without creating additional human safety risks.”

Gardiner, on the Yellowstone River, at twilight. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

Gardiner is just outside Yellowstone National Park’s North Entrance. The Yellowstone River runs through the park and town en route to its confluence with the Missouri River.

Early Thursday, FWP received a report of a bear that had broken into a home just north of Gardiner. The bear was located in the Yellowstone River and shot.

Tests conducted after the carcass had been recovered confirmed that it was the problem bear.

FWP urges residents and motorists to secure food items and is working with property owners to upgrade garbage storage and install electric fencing.

Gardiner is no stranger to incursions by large critters. Elk commonly stroll through town and wolves have been known to hunt elk in the area.

Last spring, a wolf pack from Yellowstone National Park devoured a cow elk, leaving only partial remains, on the Gardiner School football field.

The wolves killed the elk after dark on April 11 and had vanished back into the park before dawn on April 12.

Yellowstone bison, spooked by hunters, stampede toward park

A Montana photographer has shared footage of dozens of bison stampeding toward Yellowstone National Park after apparently being targeted by hunters.

A Montana photographer on Friday shared footage showing dozens of bison stampeding toward Yellowstone National Park after apparently being targeted by tribal hunters.

A description on Elizabeth Aluck’s Facebook reel reads: “Bison running back into Yellowstone National Park after being shot at by hunters.” (Click here to view the reel.)

The footage, posted on the Yellowstone Critters page, was captured in mid-February near Gardiner, just north of the park. Aluck told FTW Outdoors that she saw hunters shooting at bison and subsequently followed the herd for about 15 minutes as it ran toward the park.

A second Reel showing the beginning of the stampede also was posted to her Yellowstone Critters page. (Aluck privately shared several clips with FTW Outdoors that showed hunters shooting, and wounded bison limping. She said she did not want such graphic content on her public page.)

On Friday, she added: “Hunters are all over town right now, and will be all weekend.”

Montana’s general bison season closed Feb. 15. But Native American tribes, which enjoy traditional hunting rights, operate within their own system of guidelines.

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, several tribes “have demonstrated their aboriginal right to hunt bison in Montana near Yellowstone National Park under treaties that were negotiated with the U.S. Government.

“These are legal hunting rights, and tribes hunt during seasons and under regulations established through their own regulatory processes. At times, these hunts may occur outside of Montana’s regulated hunting seasons.”

The hunts are controversial, in part because bison are sometimes shot soon after crossing the park boundary toward winter foraging areas such as the Gardiner Basin. (Hunting inside the park is illegal.)

The harvest for 2022-23 exceeded 800 animals as of March 3.

It’s worth noting that the park anticipated a significant cull this winter because so many bison were expected to migrate outside of the park in search of grass, posing potential problems.

To be sure, management of Yellowstone National Park bison is highly complex. The park boasted a population of about 6,000 bison before the 2022-23 hunting seasons began.

–Image showing bison running toward Yellowstone National Park is courtesy of Elizabeth Aluck

Montana explains why it killed Yellowstone-area grizzly bear

A Montana grizzly bear that became increasingly habituated to humans was euthanized Wednesday, a day after its capture in the Gardiner Basin near Yellowstone National Park.

A grizzly bear that became increasingly habituated to humans was euthanized Wednesday, a day after its capture in Montana’s Gardiner Basin near Yellowstone National Park.

On Friday, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Department explained in a news release that the adult female bear had a growing history of conflicts and had been relocated twice before its capture Tuesday on private land.

“In the weeks prior to the capture, the bear had broken into a fenced compound, frequented a home that had no unsecured attractants or natural foods, and killed chickens secured by electric fencing,” FWP stated. “The bear was largely undeterred by hazing efforts, which included rubber bullets, paintballs, electric fencing and noise-making devices.”

ALSO: Viewers challenged to spot mountain lion hiding in arroyo

The decision to euthanize the bear was made in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (The bear had a small cub, which will be placed in a zoo.)

FWP stated that bear activity is high as the animals feed intensively in the weeks leading to hibernation, and that conflicts with humans have recently spiked.

On Tuesday, the same day as the Gardiner Basin capture, an adult male grizzly bear was shot and killed west of Emigrant by hunters who said they were acting in self defense.

On. Sept. 14, hunters reported being charged by a grizzly bear in the Tom Miner Basin. One hunter shot the bear with a pistol. A subsequent search involving ground and helicopter crews failed to locate the injured animal.

Conflicts with black bears, FWP stated, also have increased in residential areas such as Bozeman, Big Sky, Belgrade, Helena and Butte.
Several black bears were euthanized after gaining access to unsecured attractants, creating a public safety threat.

FWP explained that all of Montana is bear country and that securing attractants, such as garbage, bird feeders, and pet food, could help prevent bears from becoming habituated.

In the wilderness, hunters and hikers should always carry bear spray and take appropriate steps to prevent surprise encounters.

–Generic grizzly bear image is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

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