If your garage currently houses a dusty collection of expired bear spray cans you’re too terrified to throw in the regular trash, September is your hall pass. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is officially using Bear Aware Month to take those pressurized liabilities off your hands—and maybe even hand you a fresh storage canister if you win their raffle.
Turn in the old, buy a fresh can for hunting season, and stop using a four-year-old canister as a doorstop.
Beyond the great canister purge, FWP is taking the education on the road. Highlights include legitimate safety clinics, fruit-gleaning drives to keep local bears from raiding backyard orchards, and the undeniable star of the show: a remote-controlled charging mechanical bear designed to test if your quick-draw skills actually work under pressure.
Where to Catch the Action This September
- Sept. 1 | Missoula (FWP Region 2 HQ, 5:30–7:30 PM): Safety clinic, yard-proofing tips, and the remote-controlled charging bear. Free, walk-in.
- Sept. 1 | Whitefish (Farmers Market, 5:00–7:00 PM): Quick-draw practice with inert spray while you buy your veggies.
- Sept. 3 | Bozeman (FWP Region 3 HQ, 11:00 AM–2:00 PM): Full-scale workshop featuring bear mounts, skull displays, hourly safety lectures, and simulated charge drills. (Leave your live spray at home.)
- Sept. 3 | Ulm (Ulm Fire Hall, 6:00 PM): Straightforward community safety workshop. Free entry.
- Sept. 8–11 | Kalispell (FWP Region 1 HQ, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM): Backyard fruit drop-off. Donate excess apples and plums to starve out yard-raiding bears while feeding the residents at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.
- Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 | Kalispell (FWP Region 1 HQ, 3:00–5:00 PM): Weekly drop-in office hours for quick safety refreshers and test sprays.
- Sept. 12 | Whitefish (North Valley Food Bank Harvest Fest, 12:00–2:00 PM): Recreating and yard attractant safety clinic.
- Sept. 16 | Missoula (FWP Region 2 HQ, 4:00–6:00 PM): Open safety hours featuring the return of the robo-bear.
- Sept. 17 | Kalispell (Lone Pine State Park, 6:30 PM): Evening field clinic on tracking bear signs, de-escalation, and hands-on spray drills.
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