If you live in north Idaho, you live in bear country. Plain and simple.
Black bears range across the entire Panhandle, and Bonner and Boundary counties sit squarely in grizzly country. Fall is the hardest season to share with them, as bears are packing on calories ahead of winter. Oftentimes, apple trees, garbage cans, chicken coops, beehives and livestock that make up a north Idaho fall are exactly what they are looking for.
To help residents get ready, Idaho Fish and Game and its partners are hosting the free North Idaho Bear Fair from 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Boundary County Fairgrounds, 6567 Recreation Park Road, Bonners Ferry.
No registration is required, and the event is open to all ages. Food will be served while supplies last, and attendees can enter to win door prizes.
Stop a charging grizzly
The centerpiece of the event is Fish and Game’s remote-controlled charging grizzly bear. Participants can experience the reality of a bear running straight at them so they can practice drawing and firing an inert canister of bear spray under real pressure. Owning bear spray and knowing how to use it are two different things, and three seconds is not enough time to read the instructions.
Everyone who completes the training will take home a free canister of bear spray, while supplies last.
What else you’ll find
- Electric fencing demonstrations covering the basics of protecting chicken coops, beehives, gardens, orchards, livestock and other attractants on your property.
- Fish and Game’s livestock carcass pickup program: how it works and how to use it to get a powerful bear attractant off your land.
- Camping in bear country: food storage, camp setup and what to do if a bear comes into camp.
- A community cider press: bring your own apples and containers and go home with fresh cider. Unpicked and fallen fruit is one of the most common things that pulls bears into north Idaho yards, so this one does double duty.
- Staff from Fish and Game and every partner agency on-hand to answer questions about your specific property, neighborhood or hunting spot.
Morgan Pfander, Fish and Game Grizzly Bear Biologist in the Panhandle said of the event, “The North Idaho Bear Fair is a great opportunity for long-time residents, newcomers and visitors to refresh their bear spray skills, learn about available resources and put their extra apples and pears to good use. We’re looking forward to another strong turnout this year!”.
For more information
The North Idaho Bear Fair is a partnership among Idaho Fish and Game, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services, the Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation and the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative.
Please contact the Panhandle Regional office at (208) 769-1414 with any questions or to report unusual or dangerous bear encounters in the Panhandle.
This event comes coincidentally about two weeks after a hunter in neighboring Montana was mauled by a bear, according to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, which is investigating the attack, which occurred on state-owned land near Elk Creek and Haystack Butte south of Augusta.
According to a DFWP new release, the victim was archery hunting on the morning of Sept. 14 when he encountered the bear and was attacked, sustaining significant but fortunately not life-threatening injuries. The hunter drove himself home after the attack and was transported to Benefis Hospital by private vehicle for treatment.
FWP’s priority is human safety, and game wardens and bear management specialists are continuing their investigation and posting signs in the area to notify the public of bear activity.
The species of the bear involved is currently unknown, and the incident remains under investigation. No further details are available at this time.
Montana is bear country, and hunters can help stay safe when afield by following these safety tips:
- Pack meat out as soon as possible.
- Avoid cutting up carcass at dusk or night. If you kill an animal at dusk, be prepared to cut up the carcass in the dark by carrying strong headlamps. Be extra vigilant and watch for bears.
- Properly hang meat until you can retrieve your downed game.
- If you must leave your animal, return to the site carefully. Leave it in an area that is easily observable from a distance.
- Drag gut piles into open areas, if possible, and at least 100 yards from your carcass as soon as possible.
- If a bear has claimed your animal, do not attempt to haze or frighten the bear away. Report any lost game to FWP.
- Bird hunters should be extra careful while walking in and along areas of brush, especially along waterways. Grizzly bears use thick cover for day beds. Walk with the wind, carry bear spray, and keep a close eye on hunting dogs. If there is abundant fresh sign of grizzly bears in the area, consider bird hunting somewhere else.
