Grizzly-human encounters picking up in Northwest Montana

A mountain biker out for a ride after work last week used bear spray to repel what he believed was a grizzly bear approaching him on the Starry Goat Trail on Kootenai National Forestland outside of Troy. 

The man, who was not identified, spoke to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a video of the interview was shared on the agency’s YouTube channel.

The encounter occurred last Thursday on the trail which is located off of Callahan Creek Road.

“I saw what I thought was an awfully weird root ball that was blown over, so I looked up at it and when I made a noise, the bear had recognized that I was there and had turned around and decided to come toward me,” he said. “At that point, I had to quickly stop, get off the bike, unclip and pull the bear spray out.”

He said the bear closed the distance really quick and that’s when he thought the bruin was a grizzly bear because of the hump in the shoulders, the facial features and the feet.

“I thought, ‘yelling at this thing is not going to work and what am I in for,’ so I let the bear get pretty close and sprayed it at about 10 feet,” he said. “The bear started to reroute and leave and he basically ran past me in this direction up the hill and sat with his back toward me and started pawing at his face.”

FWP said the Starry Goat Trail remains open but users are urged to remain cautious of possible bear activity. 

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff set up cameras on the trail to try and identify the bear but did not see any activity and recently pulled the cameras.

Flathead Valley landowner shoots, kills grizzly

A grizzly bear charged a man near his residence along Foothill Road east of Kalispell on the night of July 10. 

The landowner heard a disturbance outside and discovered the bear getting into a chicken coop. The bear approached him, and he shot and killed it. Fortunately, the man was uninjured in the encounter. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the incident.  

Officials used the occurrences to remind people of how to be bear aware.

Montana is bear country. Avoiding conflicts with bears is easier than dealing with conflicts. Here are some precautions to help recreationists avoid negative bear encounters:  

- Carry bear spray in an accessible place and know how to use it. 

- Stay alert and look for bear activity, especially where visibility or hearing is limited (woods, bushy areas, streams).

- Anyone traveling quickly (mountain biker, trail runner) can be at high risk of surprising a bear. 

- Slow down and look ahead, especially in areas of dense vegetation, berry patches, and around blind corners. 

- Ride or run in daylight and in groups. 

- Make noise! Let bears hear you, especially where visibility is limited. 

For more information and resources on bear safety, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.