"Unprecedented.” That’s the word wildlife managers keep using to describe bear conflicts in Red Lodge. Nine have been euthanized in Carbon County, seven of those in the Red Lodge area alone.
“This year has really been kind of off the charts in terms of conflicts,” says Chrissy Webb, a spokesperson with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).
In 2025, FWP had about 175 reported conflicts in Region 5, which covers south-central Montana. This year, by late August, there were more than 200 just in one community – Red Lodge.
“We are sitting roughly around like 400 conflicts for the entire region," Webb says.
She says Red Lodge is always a hot spot for bear activity because wildlife live and travel along Rock Creek. But it’s been a bad year for berry crops like huckleberries and chokecherries, and that’s compounding conflicts.
“So the bears are a little stressed in terms of finding the foods that they should be eating, and then we lay that on top of where Red Lodge is situated in this kind of perfect wildlife corridor.”
Red Lodge is an extreme example. FWP suspects someone there is intentionally feeding bears. But the rise in conflicts is happening across the West. Webb says it’s the berries.
“At the state level, at the region level, and it's happening more broadly across the entire western United States, is we're seeing like way more conflicts than we usually do, especially with black bears.”
In Red Lodge, FWP and community groups have held public meetings and trainings looking to prevent conflicts and keep residents, both human and bear, safe. The biggest things? Webb says never intentionally feed wildlife – which is illegal in Montana – and to reconsider trash storage methods and bird feeders.
“Obviously we can't control how many berries are produced, you know, in the wild," Webb says. "But we can hopefully have some influence over how people store and secure their attractants in the community, and hopefully eliminate all of the intentional feeding that's happening in the community.”
Bears will be out seeking food ahead of winter. FWP recommends staying aware and carrying bear spray.
Learn more about living in bear country from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
