A female grizzly bear and two cubs that had been snacking on ripening apples within 50 feet of residences south of Columbia Falls have been captured and moved to a spot on the west side of Hungry Horse Reservoir.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks grizzly bear management specialist Tim Manley says the female and one of the yearlings were captured by Monday and the second yearling was captured Tuesday. The grizzlies were released together Wednesday.
Manley says the adult female is 18 years old and was first captured outside Bigfork in 1995 with a sibling when they were 2 years old. She was relocated and not heard from again until she was captured this week.
The adult grizzly weighed 260 pounds. Her yearlings include a 170-pound male and a 150-pound female.