This Fall It’s All About Bears

We’re seeing an increase in bear activity in Bozeman lately! It’s typical to see more of them this time of year as they look for more food ahead of winter. Everywhere in town you have to be careful not to put your garbage bins out too early before pick-up or you’ll likely be picking up your garbage from the mess the bear left on the street. This year feels different though – they’re being spotted more frequently and in some surprising locations, including school playgrounds and Main Street!

What’s different about this year? Apparently, their berry supply is down so they’re coming further into town to find other food sources. I wonder if something similar happened to all the berry bushes as did the lilac bushes this spring – just as they were starting to come out we had a cold snap. It prevented most of the lilacs from blooming and likely impacted berry supplies as well.

I’m personally very interested in bears, driven in part by the fact that until two years ago I had never seen a bear in the wild. It became a bit of an obsession to see one. We would drive through Yellowstone and Teton National Parks in the fall with the hope and expectation that we would at least get a glimpse. No such luck.

It wasn’t until I was showing property outside of Livingston, Montana that I got to see my first bear. I was showing vacant land that was covered in apple trees. My clients saw the bear right away as we drove up, but I was too distracted on the property details to notice. Luckily for me, my clients kept their eyes out and we had the chance to see the Bear walk away up the hill. I was on cloud 9 for days afterwards!

Sometimes it’s actually a gift to not see them, such as when you’re camping in a soft sided tent! Last month my family and I went glamping on property we own in Gallatin Gateway. We had been looking forward to it for months and of course the day before a neighbor reported seeing a bear and cub just across the street. We still camped out (with adequate cans of bear spray in supply), but with every rustle of the tent we sat up wondering if the bear was right outside. Thankfully that night the only wildlife we saw was a lone elk making her way through the field.

Since the first time in Livingston, I have seen bears three more times in the wild, most recently yesterday on Willson Avenue in town! He ran right across the road near Story Mansion. I saw it out of the corner of my eye and initially thought it was a large dog running off leash. Luckily the cars in front of me caught it too and stopped so he could safely cross the street and run into the surrounding backyards.

So if you’re new to Bozeman or just visiting, don’t be surprised to see a bear in town!