Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens are seeking information on a black bear poached just south of St. Regis.
The bear was shot and killed with a rifle sometime between May 31 and June 3 about four miles up the south Fork of Little Joe Creek.Black bear is open for hunting in most areas of northwest Montana right now. But there are a few violations in this case: the bear’s body was left after it was killed, the bear may have been shot from a road, and the sow had cubs.
Vivaca Crowser of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks says, "unfortunately one of the cubs didn’t make it. The other cub we transported to the wildlife rehab center in Helena."
Crowser says the death rate for bears this year is within a normal range so far.
"Each year unfortunately we have some of these poaching related mortalities among other things, but it hasn’t been up this year."
The case is under investigation, and game wardens are looking to the public for help. Anyone with information about this poaching is encouraged to call 1-800-TIP-MONT.
