Grizzly mortality in Montana down in 2024

The number of known grizzly bear deaths in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem for 2024 was down compared to 2023.

According to data on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly mortality dashboard, there were 29 mortalities statewide compared to 47 the year before.

Broken down by ecosystem, grizzly bear deaths in the NCDE totaled 19, down significantly from 47 in 2023.

The NCDE encompasses a broad swath of land in Northwest Montana that includes all of Glacier National Park and down the Continental Divide to the Ovando area.

It’s about 8 million acres in total.

It is separate from the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem to the west, which includes the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness and about 1 million acres of primarily federally owned land.

Lincoln County, in the heart of Cabinet-Yaak, had three bear mortalities, while Flathead had four — two of which were transferred to the Yellowstone Ecosystem and counted as mortalities.

Of the two bears that were actually killed in the Flathead, one was a mistakenly identified by a hunter and the other was a case of self-defense.

Of the 29 total deaths across the state, 11 were conflict removals, meaning the bears were euthanized either for livestock predations or for other issues such getting into garbage or pet food.

MFWP has bolstered its outreach and education programs in places like Columbia Falls, Whitefish and the North Fork in order to further prevent grizzly bear deaths. The nonprofit People and Carnivores has taken similar steps to prioritize community education.

Simple deterrents like electric fencing around chicken coops and animal feeds, bear resistant garbage containers and putting barbecue grills in a secure location at night go a long way to reducing bear conflicts, according to department managers.