Clever bears prompt restrictions

Two black bears’ craving for pre-picked huckleberries has led to some unusual restrictions at a Priest Lake campground.

Forest Service officials banned tents and tent trailers from Luby Bay Campground beginning last Friday, and on Monday imposed food handling restrictions for nearly the entire west side of the lake.

“I’ve never heard of a closure for bears before in all my years here,” said Craig Hill, owner of Hill’s Resort at Luby Bay. Bears are usually not a problem, he said. But a pair of black bears became very proficient at opening coolers to find food and huckleberries, said Forest Service spokeswoman Gail Aschenbrenner West.

“Until we can work with Idaho Fish and Game to capture and relocate the bear, we feel this is just a minor inconvenience compared to what tragedy could result,” she said.

One bear has already been captured and relocated, West said. The camping restrictions at Luby Bay will remain until Idaho Fish and Game has either relocated the other bear, or determined the threat has passed.

The food restrictions require campers to keep food locked in vehicles or tied out of reach, West said. Food and food containers cannot be kept on picnic tables, she said.

“We’re trying to protect the wildlife as much as we are the people,” West said. Bears that become accustomed to human food can become troublesome and will not return to the wild to eat, she said.

The lake remains open for tourists during the busy summer season and Hill said he hopes the restrictions do not scare off visitors.

“The closure is the Forest Service’s tool for some public education,” Hill said. “Unfortunately, the word attached to it is closure, and that makes everybody panic.”