Assistance available for those seeking bear deterrent fence

In a recent bear aware presentation in Libby, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bear Management Specialist Kim Annis touted the virtues of electric fencing and other methods of not allowing bears to get comfortable around residences.

“Bears are one-time learners,” Annis said. “Once they find a food source, they’ll never forget it. Prevention is the key.”

Annis said keeping bird feeders out in late spring and early summer may not be a good thing to do. Black oil sunflower seeds are highly prized by bears. She said there are bear-proof trash cans that are more expensive, but they do the job in keeping animals out of garbage.

Annis said for folks with chicken coops and bee hives, surrounding them with an electric fence is a great way to avoid bear encounters.

“Bears will go into a chicken coop no matter how well it’s built,” Annis said. “It’s just too easy of a meal to pass up. And obviously, honey is highly sought by bears.

“We had one 600-pound grizzly on Snowshoe Road get into hives. The owner had an electric fence around them, but the batteries only worked during the day and the bear came in at night,” Annis said.

Annis said there are organizations that will help with the cost of installing a bear-resistant fence.

Missoula-based Defenders of Wildlife will help property owners in certain counties design a barrier to keep bears out of things they shouldn’t get into and reimburse them for 50% of the cost - up to $500.

In northwest Montana, the counties include Lincoln, Flathead, Sanders, Mineral, Lake and Glacier. In northern Idaho, the counties that are eligible Bonner, Boundary, and in eastern Washington, Pend Oreille.

Chuck Bartlebaugh of Be Bear Aware, a nonprofit bear education and safety group, researches, tests and promotes bear prevention products. He stresses the importance of doing careful homework before buying deterrent fences, and urges people to choose products officially approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC). He cautions that in the quest to shave weight, some products have also pared away reliability or simply don’t deliver adequate voltage to persuade a motivated bear to keep out.

Annis says FWP also has a program where people can get a loaner fence for free to try it out.

Because she feels so strongly about the subject, she prepared a beginner’s guide on electric deterrent fencing. It can be found at https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear/be-bear-aware. Scroll down the page to the link "electrified fence."