Wildlife officials captured a 4-year-old male grizzly Tuesday that had been eating apples near residences north west of Meadow Lake Golf Course in Columbia Falls, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
FWP Grizzly Bear Management Specialist Tim Manley said the bear had been reported in residential areas over the past week. The 333-pound grizzly was captured about 50 yards from a residence near Chubb Lane.
Manley said that the grizzly was released Wednesday in the upper Whale Creek area of the North Fork of the Flathead drainage. The bear had not been previously captured and was fitted with a radio collar so biologists can follow its movements.