Don’t Tempt Bears, Hunters Warned

The capture of a young grizzly bear near Priest Lake this week should remind hunters not to leave food where animals can get it, a fish and Game biologist said Friday.

The bear was trapped behind the Nordman store on Thursday.

It first got in trouble on Monday, when it ate fried chicken left on a picnic table at a nearby camp. The table was six feet from an occupied tent, said Wayne Wakkinen of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. On Tuesday night, it visited the camp again and ate dog food.

The bear also climbed in the back of a pickup at a nearby residence, and ignored people who yelled to shoo it away. There was garbage in the truck.

“Had food and garbage not been available to the bear, he may have gone on his way,” Wakkinen said. “A lot of people will be in the woods with the opening of deer season next week and they need to be sure to keep a clean camp.”

Both black bears and grizzlies can be dangerous, he said, so keeping food away from bears is important for human safety as well as the well-being of bears.

Bearproof trash cans were recently installed in Forest Service campgrounds in the area, and would be a good idea on private property, Wakkinen said.

The grizzly was released about 25 air miles north of Nordman in the Selkirk Mountains, Wakkinen said. It is now wearing a radio collar so it can be monitored to see if it remains in the release area to den for winter, or returns to the Nordman area.

It was staying put on Friday, said Wakkinen.

, DataTimes