Wildlife officials on Thursday captured and killed a 209-pound, 3-year-old male grizzly bear in the Eureka area after the bear killed eight domestic sheep.
The landowners called Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks immediately, and Federal Wildlife Services investigated and confirmed that the grizzly had killed the sheep, according to a press release from FWP.
Several traps were set and the bear was captured after dark the same day the trap was set. The bear was killed on site.
The bear had previously captured in the fall of 2016 just north of Kalispell after it got into fruit trees next to houses. After its capture, the bear was released in the Whale Creek drainage of the North Fork Flathead River. Eventually the bear moved to the Eureka/Glenn Lake area in the fall and was being monitored with a GPS radio collar.
While FWP didn’t receive any conflict calls on the bear after release, GPS locations were frequently near residences. In the last few days, the bear crossed U.S. Highway 93, moved west of Eureka and was located at the site of the sheep kill.
Because of the previous conflict capture and the sheep kills, FWP and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, following the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee guidelines, made the decision to remove the bear, according to the FWP news release.