Wildlife biologist provides bear-avoidance tips
When bears awaken from their five-month winter slumber, it takes a good 10 days for their digestive tract to fully activate. During that time they munch on grass and work into eating carcasses from the fall, cleaning the forest floor.
“They have no problem eating old nasty stuff,” said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bear Specialist Kim Annis. “The more maggots the better.”
Annis has filled the position of bear management specialist for eight years and deals with all things bear-related to help bears and humans harmoniously coexist in Lincoln and Sanders counties. About this time every year Annis likes to remind people to look around their property and think like a bear.
Livestock feed, chicken coops, bird feeders, pet food, garbage, gardens, compost and outdoor fridges and freezers are some common items that can draw a bear to pillage a hapless homeowner’s estate.
“I work with people so they can live their lives how they want in bear country. We’re not trying to just solve the problem people are immediately having, but solve future problems as well,” Annis said.
Bears think with their stomachs, and their eyesight isn’t terribly keen. So any items that could provide a caloric benefit for an opportunistic bear will lead them closer to a home to investigate, which is a bad precedent to set.
Annis said bears are one-time learners. That means a bear can encounter a huckleberry patch one season and will remember its location to return season after season. The same goes for a garden or chicken coop.
“We don’t want them to learn about birdfeeders even once,” Annis said. “Save yourself some money and wait to feed songbirds next winter.”
If that’s not an option, Annis recommended placing feeders a minimum of 10 feet from the ground and four feet from a vertical structure to keep them out of a bear’s reach.
The most effective way to keep bears from venturing into yards is to store attractive items inside a closed building. For things that can’t be kept indoors, Annis can help with options and strategies.
“Electric fencing is my forte. It’s an amazing tool,” Annis said. She can loan the materials or accept cross-shares to help set up an effective electrified barrier.
A properly designed electric fence can also prevent skunks, bobcats, mountain lions or coyotes from killing small livestock, as well as deter bears. For those who decide to purchase electrified fencing, financial assistance is available to pay for up to half of the costs.
Annis also loans bear-proof garbage cans on an as needed basis. “We have a lot of tools and I like to see them in use,” she said.
Annis said some people may think it’s not a big deal to have their garbage cans raided by a black bear, but that’s a shortsighted view. “It could be a grizzly bear next,” Annis said. And that’s a problem. Grizzlies have been a threatened species for years and getting them delisted is the goal of several government agencies in the area. “We want to prevent unnecessary grizzly deaths so they can grow to a healthy level,” she said.
People who call Lincoln County Dispatch regarding bear issues will be passed on to Fish, Wildlife & Parks, who will call on Annis. Sheriff Roby Bowe said, “We tell them just leave the bears alone and they’ll be fine. Then we’ll tell them to call Fish, Wildlife & Parks if they need further assistance.”
Fish, Wildlife & Parks Warden Philip Kilbreath has fielded calls regarding bear incursions. “I do get calls and I do offer advice, but if I were to get a call right now I would refer them to her (Annis),” he said.
When bears are awake, Annis is on call. She encourages people to reach her by cell anytime. “I don’t like it when cell phone doesn’t ring. I like it when it rings because that means I can assist people with preventing negative bear interactions,” she said.