How to Keep Bears Out of Your Yard
Bear Identification
Bear & Lion News
Hunting in Grizzly Country
Bear Aware Events

Emergency Contacts
911 or Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks at 542.5500

community resources

• Bear & Lion NEWS
• Looking for a bear-resistant container in Missoula?
• Interested in getting help with picking your fruit trees?
• Neighborhood Network Project
  
• Bears & Chickens
• Teachers
  
• Program Events
  
• Living with Bears
  
• Photo Galleries
• Maps
  
• Other Community Groups
  

Looking for a bear-resistant container in Missoula? Check out these current vendors:

• Trempers Ace Hardware - Ace Hardware will special order a 95-gallon BearSaver for $269.99

Interested in getting help with picking your fruit trees? If so, contact:

• Garden City Harvest
• Great Bear Foundation
• Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group: Bear Aware Apple Share Project

Rattlesnake Neighborhood Network Project    
Help address bear issues in your area

The neighborhood Network Project allows community members to address bear issues in their areas.  Each community receives needed educational resources, activity updates and alerts.  If you are interested in setting up a community program in your area, download the following information.

• 2008 Neighborhood Network Letter
• Bear Present Flowchart
• Attractant Flowchart

Clearwater Neighborhood Network Project    
Help address bear issues in your area

The neighborhood Network Project allows community members to address bear issues in their areas.  Each community receives needed educational resources, activity updates and alerts.  If you are interested in setting up a community program in your area, download the following information.

• 2010 Clearwater Neighborhood Network Letter
• Informational Postcard

Teachers
We provide free educational programs about the bears in Montana.  We tailor program topics and times to each event. If you would like to set up one of these programs please call Erin Edge at 406-531-6007 or email Erin at eedge@defenders.org.  Erin has been providing education programs on this topic since 2003.

Program Events    
A list of Bear Aware events happening in your area >>

Bear & Lion News
Links to recent bear and lion news articles >>

Living With Bears

• General:
  
  • How to Keep Bears Out of Your Yard
    
  • Bear Identification
  • MFWP Electric Fence Guide for Bears
    
  • Contact Your Local Garbage Hauler
    
  • Hunting in Grizzly Country (pdf)
    
  • Living with Bears brochure (pdf)
    
  • Defenders of Wildlife coexistence website
  • Living with Wildlife Foundation's 2009 Living with Predators Resource Guides
• Rattlesnake:
  
  • State of the Rattlesnake Report – U.S. Forest Service (pdf)
  • 2010 Rattlesnake Study Update (pdf)
    
  • Melinda Booth's Thesis:  Determining Residents Attitudes Toward Black Bear Management in the Rattlesnake Neighborhood: Missoula, Montana (pdf)
  • Merkle et al. 2012. How 'Bout Them Apples: Insights on reducing human-bear conflicts. Fair Chase Fall 2012: 73-77.
  • Merkle et al. 2011. Predicting Spatial Distribution of Human-Black Bear Interactions in Urban Areas. The Journal of Wildlife Management 75(5): 1121-1127. (pdf)
• Related Legislation:
  
• Missoula Bear Buffer Zone Map (pdf)
• Missoula Garbage Ordinance pertaining to bears 3419 (pdf)
• Missoula feeding ordinance 3330 (pdf)
• Montana Code 87-6-216
• Get Bear Smart Society’s Information about Bylaws and Ordinances
• Links:
• Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC)
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Northern Divide Grizzly Bear Project | NDGBP DNA Projects
• Center for Wildlife Information

Photo Galleries     

Click here to view Missoula and Seeley/Swan bear pictures.  Thanks to everyone who contributed pictures to our galleries. 

• Missoula bear Gallery
• Clearwater bear Gallery
• Remote Camera Gallery

Maps

Missoula Bear Buffer Zone Map (pdf)

Missoula Bear Buffer Zone Map - Google Earth

2003 Locations of Bear Conflicts map: 
Each red 'X' represents a report of a black bear conflict Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks received in 2003 (yellow "X" represents mountain lion sightings). 

General Distribution of Bears in Montana

Other Community Groups:

• The Rattlesnake Creek Watershed Group
• Ninemile Wildlife Workgroup
• Swan Ecosystem Center
• Blackfoot Challenge
• Wind River Bear Institute
• Living with Wildlife Foundation
• Grant Creek (Email)
• Northwest Connections 
• Clearwater Resource Council