A male grizzly bear shot and wounded south of Shelby two weeks ago continues to elude federal and state wildlife experts attempting to trap it.
"The bear was shot by a resident along the Marais River east of Highway 15," says Wesley Sarmento, bear management specialist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
He says the incident is under investigation by Montana FWP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and that the bear has lost the ability to use its front right leg.
"This grizzly bear learned to get food from around people’s homes, and that’s why it was going from home to home," he says. "And a resident shot the bear when the bear was near his home."
Last year, it ate apples from a tree in a private yard in Choteau, and was collared and relocated to East Glacier. But the bear has made its way back near residences and has obtained chicken feed from homes this year, too.
"This bear is a known conflict bear, and so this bear has found unsecured attractants at peoples’ homes before," Sarmento says.
Sarmento encouraged Montanans in bear country to secure potential attractants in bear-safe storage areas.