Grizzly raids hen house in Edward’s Gulch

DRUMMOND – Sometime Sunday night into Monday morning, a grizzly bear found its way into Edward’s Gulch and served itself up a chicken dinner.

The bear was in the gulch around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night, being caught on a game camera near the property of Keith Jesse. His son, Brandon, supplied the Flint Creek Courier with the image showing a young, collared bear at 11:21 p.m.

According to Fish, Wildlife & Parks Game Warden Jamie Jonkel the bear had been previously apprehended near Gold Creek a few years ago and released near Seeley Lake. After Sunday night’s incident, where the bear killed 10 chickens on the property of the Owens, FWP requested the tracking data that showed the bear coming into the area that night and then leaving after his late-night snack.

At last report the grizzly was headed northeast toward Highway 271 and Helmville.

Jonkel and fellow game warden Eli Hampson noted that bears are coming out of their hibernation and are looking for food. Over the years they have noticed more and activity in the Granite County area stretching from Drummond southward to Philipsburg and Georgetown Lake.

According to VitalGround.org, there are steps you can take as a home owner toward making your property less desirable to visit by grizzly or black bears. The first, and most effective, step is to make sure that any food or garbage is properly stored or disposed of. Leaving food out or not getting rid of smelly garbage immediately is a major attractant to bears. Pet food, fruit trees and attractants left in cars can also invite unwanted predators to your home.

And when a bear is in the area, make sure to secure your pets and ranch animals in sturdy shelters.

As bears have been known to make their way into Drummond and other towns, following these guidelines would also be helpful for residential neighborhoods.