The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ wildlife staff is warning residents and hunters about widespread black and grizzly bear movement from the base of the Mission mountains to the lower Flathead River. They say bears are following riparian areas west into the valley in search of decreasing food supplies like hawthorn and fruit.
The wildlife staff says field corn has become an important fall staple for bears in the Mission valley, and that biologists are seeing extensive evidence of bears using corn fields on both sides of highway 93. They say some bears are remaining in the corn fields all day.
Bears Seeking Out Corn In The Mission Valley

Courtesy Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes