A bear and his honey
From the Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls Tribune:
Grizzly bear trapped near Simms
State and federal wildlife managers trapped a 575-pound grizzly bear Tuesday night near Simms.
The bear, which was raiding beehives, is estimated to be 4 1/2 years old.
Officials believe the bear probably followed the Sun River from the Rocky Mountain Front in search of berries.
Bruce Auchly, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regional information officer, said bear specialists fitted the animal with a radio transmitter collar and relocated it to the Flathead National Forest just west of Marias Pass on Thursday.
"It was kind of surprising 'cause it was so far out from the Rocky Mountain Front," said Mike Madel, FWP bear management specialist. Simms sits on the Sun River, 21 miles east of Augusta, and about 30 miles west of Great Falls.
A bit about what he was looking for:
In the fall, black and grizzly bears are in constant search of food before they den for the winter. Madel figures that is what brought the bear near Simms.
"The local chokecherry crop is not very good � spotty at best," Madel said. "I'm guessing he was following the chokecherries along the Sun River and found some beehives."
Posted by DaveH at September 28, 2008 6:25 PM