Nathan Keane usually gets up, lets the dog out, and then makes coffee for himself. For some reason, on Wednesday, June 3rd, he went directly to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. Nathan looked outside his kitchen window to see 30 feet from the house and in the chicken coop a grizzly bear. He had to do a double-take. "I couldn't believe it. I would have never dreamed there would be a grizzle bear in my front yard." The grizzly was inside the chicken pen. They couldn't see what he was doing; it looked like he was drinking water, but instead, he was devouring a chicken.
Nathan was glad he hadn't let the dogs out, and it was early enough; the kids were still sleeping. It could have been so different if the dogs or the kids were outside.
A neighbor drove by with a diesel pickup, and it scared the bear. Nathan decided to track the bear from a distance and was surprised how fast the bear could run. A grizzly bear can run comfortably at 35 miles an hour.
Before the furthest east, a grizzly bear has traveled was Loma Montana. However, grizzly bears originally were a high plains prairie animal. It was only the settlement of Montana that drove the grizzly to the mountains. Currently, they are listed as a protected species.
Wesley Sarmento, Grizzly Bear Management Specialist, from the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks from Conrad traveled to Nathan and Dianna Keane's place to investigate. I visited with him by phone.
They believe this bear is a three-year-old male, by the size and shape of his head, probably about 400 pounds. They are trying to capture him because he has been coming near homes to get human foods. That is increased human safety, so it is a bear they want to capture. He has eaten chicken, garbage, and dog food. "He has been bouncing around first north of Conrad, then moved to north of Brady, 10 miles east of Brady, closer to the Fort Benton/ Chester highway, before he traveled to the Keanne place. This bear travels about 10 miles a day, making it challenging to capture. At the time of printing, the bear had moved from south of Rudyard to five miles north of Big Sandy at Lonesome lake.
After they capture this bear, it has not been determined what they will do with it. Usually, they will place a nuisance bear, with a bad record to the west side of the Rocky Mountains. This bear has a history of getting too close to humans. Since they are still a protective species, though their population is high, FWP has no authority to control the population. They need to manage the bears so the public can keep safe.
I did ask why they don't use a helicopter to find and dart him. Helicopters cost $900 an hour, so it's costly, therefore prohibitive. Bears are mostly nocturnal and like to bed down in tall grass during the day.
Wesley mentioned that the FWP had tried twice to get the grizzly bear off the protective species list, and both times there was a lawsuit that prevented it. They are still working to find a way that will not be challenged in the courts.
Also, if anyone wants to be proactive, they should keep their garbage and dog food inside. It is also a good idea to put up an electric fence around any small livestock.
