The bear in the yard

By Brad Smith
Reader Contributor

One evening my mom opened the front door at our home in West Yellowstone, Mont., to head out and meet up with some friends. After taking one step out the door, she promptly turned around, came back in the house, and closed the door.

“Did you forget something?” my dad asked.

A grizzly bear in Idaho. Photo by Jim Mellen.

“Nope,” my mom said pointedly. “There is a bear in the yard.”

These kinds of stories are increasingly common in Bonner and Boundary counties. You may have read recent news reports about bears killing livestock in Naples and Porthill. Unwanted bear encounters pose a threat to both bears and people. As residents, we need to educate ourselves about steps we can take to limit the potential for bear encounters. 

While bears generally tend to avoid people, that can change when bears are rewarded with something tasty. Grizzly bears used to come into West Yellowstone to raid trash cans for table scraps. Only when residents started storing their trash cans in a secure location like their garage and began using bear-proof garbage cans and dumpsters did that behavior end. Residents also refrained from putting their trash cans out until the morning of trash collection.

If you like to barbeque, then make sure to store your barbeque in your garage or another indoor location when it’s not in use. Keep the grill, drip pan and grease can empty and clean. Do not leave food, dishes or utensils unattended at any time.

Owners of livestock large and small should keep their animals in secure locations. It’s a good idea to keep livestock in a locked barn or coop during the night. Electric fencing should be used to keep bears out of pastures and runs. Grain, mash and other livestock feed should also be stored in a secure location that is separate from your animals. It is often the failure to secure pet and livestock feed that initially attracts bears, but results in livestock or animal depredations.

Orchards, berry patches, gardens, beehives and compost piles also attract bears. Produce should be harvested as soon as it ripens. Avoid using fish-based fertilizers, blood meal and deer repellent, as these products can attract bears. As with livestock, consider installing an electric fence in order to keep bears out of these areas and out of trouble.

If you like to watch birds, then you may be sad to learn that it is not a good idea to fill bird feeders with seed, soot or nectar between April 1 and Dec. 1. Bird foods and nectars are very high in calories and are very attractive to bears. Consider using bird baths instead, or limit feeding to the winter months. Placing salt blocks to attract deer, elk or moose may similarly draw bears into your yard.

I understand that cost is a consideration when it comes to implementing some of these measures, especially electric fencing. If you need to install electric fencing, then you may be eligible for assistance. Idaho Fish and Game and Defenders of Wildlife have programs to aid landowners with installation. You may even be eligible for financial assistance to help cover some or all of the costs. Contact these organizations for more information.

Black bear hunters should know that bear-baiting is illegal in Game Management Unit 1, which includes all portions of Bonner and Boundary counties north of Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille and Clark Fork rivers. I have heard but have not been able to confirm that the bear that killed the llama and the pig in Naples this spring had visited an illegal bear-bait site near Clark Fork several times in the last year. If so, it is these kinds of situations that cause bears to seek unnatural sources of food placed by people, putting both the bear and people in danger.

As the populations of people and bears in Bonner and Boundary counties continue to grow, it is increasingly important to take these kinds of precautions. If you live in a rural location such as Priest Lake, the Selle Valley, Pack River, Rapid Lightning, the Kootenai Valley or the North Bench, then these measures are especially important. 

After the slate of news reports involving bears in our area this year, it is evident that the problem will only grow worse unless we take action as a community to limit the potential for encounters between people and bears.

Brad Smith is the North Idaho director of the Idaho Conservation League.