Wildlife officials captured a 3-year old, 271-pound male grizzly bear Saturday morning between Highway 2 and the Whitefish River southeast of Whitefish.
According to Tim Manley, a grizzly bear management specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the bear had been in the area for about a week and was reported feeding on unsecured garbage and apples. The garbage dumpster on the property was replaced with a bear-resistant dumpster.
Manley said that the bear had not been captured previously. The bear had likely come from the Whitefish Range and was released on Sunday in the northern portion of the Whitefish Range in the Whale Creek Drainage. The bear was fitted with a GPS radio collar so biologists can follow its movements.
Manley reminds residents to pick up all apples as they fall, and to secure all attractants.