Bear conflicts in Red Lodge increased in summer 2024

Bears do not go from being human-fearing wild animals to brazen home intruders overnight. Like teenagers acting out, bears who seriously break the rules generally have a history of low-level troublemaking that goes unreported before the behavior gets out of hand. 

After a summer of increased human-bear conflicts in the Red Lodge area, FWP officials are encouraging community members to report even minor conflicts and to take on more responsibility in educating others on practices that will prevent bear misbehavior before traps or euthanasia become necessary. 

This season’s conflicts included two attacks by black bears: a 3-year-old girl was mauled in a tent at a private campground and an angler on the Stillwater River had his nose broken when a surprised bear struck him in the face. Neither attack was fatal for the humans involved, but the bear who mauled the girl was euthanized. 

Carbon County accounted for 66% of black bear conflicts in the south-central FWP region, which increased from 99 to 111 between 2023 and 2024. Grizzly conflicts in the region increased from eight to 24.

In years past, most conflicts were caused by a core group of troublemakers, but this year was different. There were “a lot of bears causing a lot of problems,” according to Daniel McHugh, the FWP bear specialist for the region. 

Conflicts resulted in eight black bears euthanized in the region in 2023, four of which were from Carbon County. Eleven bears were euthanized in 2024, six of which were from the county. 

“We would like that number way lower,” McHugh told Red Lodge residents during a recent community meeting. “That should be a last resort. We should fix this through prevention.” 

Another eight black bears from the region were relocated this year, as was one grizzly. No grizzly bears were euthanized. 

“Right now, we’re having a hard time pulling coexistence off,” he said. “There’s only so much the government can do. There has to be community buy-in.” 

McHugh called the community meeting a “plea for help” and a “call to action” aimed at residents interested in getting involved in protecting bears, humans and property by forming a local bear safety organization. 

Though regional FWP officials can respond to conflict, they are responsible for an eight-county area and do not have time to go door-to-door educating residents. 

“FWP is never going to get ahead of the issue,” McHugh said. 

There are several bear safety organizations elsewhere in the state, such as in Missoula, Gardiner and the Clearwater Valley, where residents volunteer their time to educate their communities on the importance of taking preventative action. An attempt to form a local organization earlier this year fizzled after organizers encountered difficulties with putting together a board. 

FWP also needs community members to report unsecured food and seemingly harmless instances of bears not acting wild. Early reporting of potentially problematic behavior can save a bear’s life by giving FWP time to address the problem before it gets dangerous.

McHugh said the data on when bear conflicts occur in the region are primarily driven by food. There were 40 conflicts in July, when it was dry and natural food was scarce.

In August, when chokecherries were in season, conflicts dropped to 21 and in September, which is whitebark pine nut season, they dropped to seven. Other regions had similar amounts of conflicts across the entire season, but they were more consistent across the months, indicating that they were less food-driven.

McHugh encouraged “tattling on neighbors,” which he said is second in importance only to securing trash, food and other attractants. He said a local woman was “hounding” him all summer about unsecured attractants in her neighborhood. 

“What we’re trying to get going on in Red Lodge, she encapsulates it,” McHugh said. 

Though it may seem like common sense to keep food and trash secured in bear country, McHugh said newcomers are unaware and old-timers have gotten lax. 

There is a state law under which people can be punished for inadvertently providing food to animals after being warned, but this requires proof that a bear has actually munched on whatever was left out, according to FWP warden Matt Heaton.

There is also a city ordinance requiring residents to use a bear-proof trash can, though FWP officials said it’s common to see dumpsters propped open and trash bags left out on the curb. 

McHugh said it’s challenging for people to understand why FWP chooses to trap or euthanize bears, which includes several factors such as the location of the conflict and the bear’s motivations. 

FWP euthanized the bear who mauled the young girl because it was deemed a predatory attack. Food was found in and around the tent.

“When a bear bites a little girl on the head, we’re not in the business of trying to interpret what the bear was doing,” McHugh said. 

In the case of the angler who was struck in the face, the bear was surprised not acting predatory. The attack took place in a wild setting and the bear’s response was considered natural behavior. 

But being surprised is not always enough to spare a bear’s life. FWP euthanized a grizzly bear in 2023 after it fatally mauled a runner in West Yellowstone because of the proximity of the incident to a residential area, though it was considered a surprise attack. 

Bears tend to be relocated when they have a high likelihood of repeated conflict. They are euthanized if they are deemed to have lost their wildness. 

“If they seem docile, calm and confident around people, that’s bad,” McHugh said. “They should be scared.” 

Several factors make relocation difficult, particularly accessing wild areas with a vehicle. 

McHugh says luck is required for relocation to be successful. If the bear is brought to an area that’s a good environment for bears but has high bear density, it’s likely to leave. If it’s brought to an area that’s less populated but barren of food, it’s also unlikely to stay. 

For example, the bear who was euthanized this summer after breaking into a home had been relocated in 2022 and returned to Red Lodge. 

Without better preventative measures taken by humans, conflicts in the area will continue to increase. McHugh said that with the growing local grizzly population — there are currently seven local sows plus their young — these conflicts will increasingly involve grizzlies as well. 

“Are we going to be putting down six of a threatened species?” he questioned.