The temporary closure in Haskill Basin has been lifted on F.H. Stoltze land in section 21 and State Land in Section 16 located west of Haskill Creek Road. This area had been closed subsequent to a bear attack on a man in the area on October 16.
There were no images on the FWP cameras placed at the scene the morning following the attack, but the cameras did capture images of a family group of three grizzly bears at the site two days after the attack. These bears are believed to be a different family group than the one involved in the attack. The bears involved in the attack are believed to be a sow with cubs of the year. The bears on the camera are believed to be a sow with yearlings.
These bears were only seen that morning on the cameras and appear to have moved on from the scene once they discovered there was no food reward at the attack site. No other bears were seen on the cameras for the next 5 days; the cameras were pulled last night.
FWP is not proposing any further action at this location at this time. FWP reminds people to be careful when recreating in this area. FWP recommends that hunters and other recreationists carry and know how to use bear pepper spray.
FWP has received numerous reports of both black and grizzly bears in the areas around Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Bigfork, and along the north and east side of the Flathead Valley. Landowners are reminded to pick fruit off their trees to prevent damage to their trees and pick up all fruit off the ground to avoid attracting bears.
