Advice on Staying Bear Aware During Montana Hunting Season

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Education and Program Manager Vivaca Crowser appeared Friday on the KGVO ‘Hunter's Breakfast’ show, specifically to promote the fact that September has been designated as ‘Bear Aware’ month.

With hunting season getting underway, Crowser discussed the issue of bears and human contact.

“It could almost be just about any month of the year in Montana,” began Crowser. “I feel like there are more and more bears out there in places, and in some cases, in places where we haven't seen them in a long time. So we're just trying to help provide more resources to folks to have what they need to be out there and feel good about any sort of recreation they're doing in bear country.”

Crowser said knowing how to properly and effectively use bear repellent spray is vital for anyone who is hunting or recreating in Montana.

“Right now, if you are in the Missoula area, this is a great time to stop by and answer that question (how to use bear spray) and try it out,” she said. “We've got a bunch of inert sprays. We've got these office hours on Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Fridays. You can stop by and try the inert bear spray. But the biggest thing is you want to have it where you can grab it. You see people out there with it tied to the back of your pack. You don't want to do that. You want to have it on your hip, or maybe on the strap right on your chest, so you can grab it.”

Crowser praised the public for its response to Bear Aware events around Montana.

“At the events we've held around the state we've had really good participation,” she said. “We had an event here in Missoula that I saw more people at than most events that we hold. So it's relevant to people. You may have that bear spray at home, but you obviously don't want to practice with the live stuff, so this is a good chance this month to attend one of these events around the state, get your inert bear spray in hand and be able to practice.”

Crowser said in addition to live, ‘in-person’ training, there are other ways to learn how to properly use bear spray.

“If you don't have time to actually be somewhere in person, you can also look at one of the recorded training sessions that we've offered,” she said. “We have one of our YouTube channels dedicated to bear safety. One of the pieces of things that that we do work on with bear outreach, is trying to get bear safety information into hotels and VRBO’s and places like that.”