Grizzly hunt still on hold

According to Dusty Lasseter, Bear Wise community coordinator with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, grizzly bears have been caught in western Hot Springs County for livestock depredation.

Lasseter did not have any exact dates to share, but noted two bears were trapped and relocated. A third was euthanized a couple weeks back, he said, and the bears were located in the Owl Creek drainage area.

A local rancher in the area stated he has lost roughly 125 sheep and 20 calves to bears since April, and those numbers have been confirmed by Game and Fish.

Regarding the relocation of bears, Lasseter said they are never relocated inside the county, rather to more remote areas such as the Lander region, more toward Dubois and the Togwotee area.

Lasseter said the bears are at the point in their yearly cycle when they are entering hyperphagia mode, eating and drinking to fatten themselves up for their annual hibernations, but they are still plenty active.

It’s not typical for the county to see grizzlies and their spreading here is a symptom of the population recovery, he explained, as a higher density of bears results in an increased distribution.

If you happen to encounter a bear, Lasseter said the first option is to back away slowly. If the animal continues to be aggressive, he said, you have the right to defend yourself via bear spray or a firearm. If the animal appears to be protecting its food, cubs and space, Lasseter said the best thing people can do is to drop and cover and show they are not a threat. The majority of the time, the bear will leave.

More information about camping, hiking, hunting, fishing and general living in bear country is available through the Wyoming Game and Fish Department website, wgfd.wyo.gov

Earlier this year, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted to allow hunters to shoot as many as 22 grizzlies outside Yellowstone National Park, with the hunt planned for this September; it would be the first hunting season for the animals since 1974. In June of 2017, the Interior Department announced Yellowstone grizzlies would no longer be listed as “endangered.”

However, after several environmental groups and Native American tribes sued to reverse the delisting, an initial decision was made Aug. 30 to implement a two-week restraining order on the hunt. A second two-week order was entered on Sept. 13, delaying the hunting season until Sept. 27 with an end date of Nov. 15.