Grizzly bear family swims the reservoir

A six-year-old female grizzly bear and her two cubs of the year were captured along the Flathead River west of Columbia Falls Stage Road on Aug. 22.

The bear family had been captured earlier this year on the Flathead Indian Reservation by Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe biologists to move them away from homes before any conflicts occurred.

The three bears were relocated to the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir, but within several weeks they swam the reservoir and crossed over the top of the Swan Range into the Flathead Valley.

During August, the bears traveled along the east side of the Flathead Valley between Lake Blaine, Many Lakes and LaBrant Road. They were also observed in the Creston area, where they got into a garden and ate corn and carrots.

The bears didn’t cause any major conflicts, but they were observed walking through backyards on several occasions.

After the decision was made to capture and move them out of the Flathead, traps were set in the LaBrant Road and Creston area. Eventually, the family group made their way to the Flathead River, north of Highway 35.

The adult female was captured with a leg hold snare, drugged and placed in the front of a family trap. The cubs were captured about two hours later when they walked into the back of the trap to be near their mother.

Bear managers decided to return the bears to an area they were familiar with on the Flathead Indian Reservation, in a remote area in the South Fork of the Jocko River drainage.

Tribe biologists released the bears on Aug. 23. The female is still wearing a GPS radio collar from when she was first captured this year.