Bear safety workshop happening in Bozeman on April 20

BOZEMAN – If you’re heading into the hills around Bozeman this spring and you haven’t practiced with your bear spray since you bought it, this is exactly the kind of event you should show up to. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting a free bear safety workshop on Monday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the south parking lot of their Bozeman office at 1400 S. 19th Ave.

Lectures run on the hour, and FWP will have full-body mounts of both grizzly and black bears on display — skulls, tracks, food storage setups, spray holsters, the works. Honestly, seeing a full grizzly mount up close has a way of sharpening your attention that no YouTube video ever will. Weather permitting, participants get to practice deploying inert bear spray against a simulated charging bear demonstration. That hands-on rep matters more than most people realize.

FWP staff will be on hand to talk bear biology, walk through what to do during an encounter, and cover proper carry and deployment technique for bear spray. The event is family friendly and open to everyone. Just leave your personal bear spray at home — they’ll have inert canisters on site for the practice drills.

We live and recreate in bear country. Full stop. The Gallatin Range, the Bridgers, the Madison drainage — grizzlies are pushing into more of that country every year, and black bears have always been there. Avoiding a conflict beats surviving one every single time. In my experience, most problems come down to surprise encounters and people who’ve never actually fired their bear spray before they needed it.

FWP lays out the core precautions well: carry bear spray and know how to use it before you need it — not after. Move in groups when you can, stick to daylight hours, and make noise near streams or in thick brush where a bear can’t hear you coming. Steer well clear of carcass sites and anywhere ravens are piling up; that’s a gut pile or a winter-kill, and there’s likely something with claws already on it. Watch the ground as you move — fresh diggings, turned rocks, torn logs, and scat all tell you something’s been through recently. Keep your food and attractants locked down and follow storage regulations, especially in designated wilderness and park boundaries. And don’t approach a bear. Ever. Doesn’t matter how calm it looks.

For more on bear safety year-round, head over to FWP’s bear safety resources.