Grizzly Found Dead Near Mill Creek

By Thad Kelling of The Montana Standard - 09/29/2005

Photo courtesy of Montana Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks; A dead grizzly bear lies near a tributary to Mill Creek, south of Anaconda recently. Game wardens used the purple rope around it's neck to pull it out of the stream. The bear was killed illegally last week.

Game wardens were surprised to find a grizzly bear south of Anaconda. But they were even more surprised to learn someone had killed the endangered animal.

A citizen reported the dead bear near Mill Creek Friday. Wardens responded and identified it as a grizzly. A male, it weighed about 450 pounds and was about 61/2 years old, which is considered middle-aged.

"He would have lived longer if he wouldn't have been killed," said Sgt. Coy Kline, who works for the Butte branch of Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Investigators believe the bear was killed Tuesday, Sept. 20, or Wednesday, Sept. 21 — judging by the state of decay, said Doug Goessman, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent from Bozeman.

A hunter possibly killed the grizzly after mistaking it for a black bear, investigators said. Black bear hunting season, for bows and guns, opened earlier in September.

The grizzly bear probably died quickly, investigators said.

For investigative purposes, game wardens would not release further details as to exactly how the grizzly was killed. They also would not describe where it was killed, except by noting it was found in the Mount Haggin Wildlife Management Area.

"The biggest thing is it is a threatened species," Kline said. "We don't have a lot of them around." Game wardens are still investigating the crime, and they request anyone with information to call. A reward of up to $5,000 is available.

"It is very common to write a $5,000 check," Goessman said.

Grizzly bears were listed as an endangered species south of Canada in 1975, according to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Currently, they occupy 2 percent of their original range in the lower 48 states.

Five grizzly bear subpopulations exist in Wyoming, Washington, Idaho and Montana, according to the state. About 350 grizzlies live in the northwest Montana Rockies and about 250 live in or near Yellowstone National Park.

Grizzlies can travel 20 to 40 miles per day, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Male grizzlies have a range of 600 to 1,000 square miles.

Montana law provides the following penalties for illegally killing, possessing or transporting a grizzly: $500 to $2,000 fine; six months jail time; and temporary forfeiture of hunting and fishing privileges. The same penalties apply to bighorn sheep, moose, wild buffalo, caribou, mountain goat and black bear.

Reporter Thad Kelling may be reached at 496-5511 or thad.kelling@lee.net.