Rescue helicopter also good for spotting wayward grizzlies

A helicopter operated by Two Bear Air is proving to be useful in not just search and rescue missions — it also comes in handy when state biologists need to a find bears.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks bear biologist Tim Manley said he’s used Two Bear’s services on occasion because it has a high-resolution video camera than can spot bears even when they’re in timber.

The camera can detect a wide range of light, from visible to infrared — fresh tracks in snow will show up on infrared.

“We don’t use it very often,” Manley said. “Once in awhile.”

Manley gave an update on grizzly management in the region during the Great Northern Environmental Stewardship Area meeting last week in Whitefish.

Infrared detection is most useful early in the spring when biologists are searching for female grizzly bears that are coming out of their dens to see if they have cubs.

The Two Bear helicopter is financed by Whitefish philanthropist Mike Goguen, who supports all the helicopter’s operation with zero cost to taxpayers.

Finding grizzlies at their dens can be difficult. Bears generally den at an elevation of about 6,000 feet in steep terrain, often on slopes of 60 degrees or more.

Manley now utilizes the only remote-controlled barrel bear trap in the U.S. when he’s trying to catch a bruin.

The trap has cameras connected to the Internet so he can check its status online or with his cell phone. If the trap happens to catch a skunk, he can remotely re-set the trap and let the skunk loose without having to drive out to the site.

Manley also gave an update on grizzly bear augmentation in the Cabinet-Yaak region. For several years now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with cooperation from FWP, has moved several grizzlies to the Cabinet-Yaak region from other parts of Northwest Montana in an effort to boost populations there.

To date, 13 grizzly bears have been moved to the Cabinets, and seven either returned to their home range in the Flathead or died. This year, biologists moved two young females from the Flathead to the Cabinet-Yaak.