Montana has the largest remaining grizzly bear population in the lower 48 United States. It also has a robust moose population, with the animals occupying forested landscapes throughout the western portion of the state. They can generally be found in regenerating areas within dense mesic forest or areas with extensive willow fen habitat.
Grizzly bears are opportunists, changing their behavior to take advantage of new food sources. They are classified as carnivores, but they’ll eat insects, several flowering plants, roots, tubers, grasses, berries, small rodents, fish, carrion, and more. They’ll even attempt to take down young or weakened larger animals when they have the chance.
Bear biologist Wes Larson captured this footage of a moose chasing a bear at the Soda Butte Campground inside Montana’s Custer Gallatin National Forest while checking out the site of a 2010 fatal bear attack back that he covered in his podcast Tooth and Claw. It’s not clear if this bear was chasing the moose for food or in a defensive manner, but it’s a wild clip either way.
On Tuesday I went to an empty campground in Montana because it was the location of a fatal grizzly attack we covered on Tooth and Claw (my podcast). I saw a moose in the campground and went to take a short video of it…it ended up being a better video than I expected pic.twitter.com/B0KFEpBvrd
— Wes Larson 🇵🇸 (@grizkidd) June 16, 2024
Being inside your car is an ideal spot to be if you spot a bear, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for an encounter when in bear country. The state of Montana encourages carrying bear spray and understanding how to use it. Planning ahead and being prepared to deal with an encounter, whether it’s a grizzly bear or black bear, is necessary to staying safe. Read more on bear safety below.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Bear Encounter Guidelines:
During an encounter with a bear
- Never run away. You cannot outrun a bear. Running may trigger a bear to chase.
- Never approach the bear
- Different situations call for different responses.
- If you see a bear at a distance, the bear appears unaware of you and you can move away undetected, do so quietly when the bear is not looking toward you.
- If you cannot avoid a bear that sees you, stand your ground and watch its behavior. Move away when it disengages.
Various encounter types and what to do
If a bear is not actively engaged with you (looking away, ignoring you, running away or retreating)
- Give the bear space by backing away slowly from the bear and going in the opposite direction of the bear.
If a bear shows agitated/defensive behavior (huffing, jaws clacking, head swaying back and forth, bellowing, swatting the ground, and excessively salivating at the mouth)
- Stand your ground, prepare your bear spray, and speak in a calm manner, until the bear retreats.
If a bear charges or appears ready to charge:
- Stand your ground.
- If it charges, use your bear spray, when the bear comes within 30-60 feet.
- If the bear is going to touch you, go face down on the ground, cover your neck and head as much as possible, and deploy your bear spray in the bear’s face. If you do not have bear spray, play dead if it is a grizzly bear, fight back if it is a black bear.
If a bear follows you, or slowly, purposefully or methodically approaches you:
- Stand your ground.
- Get aggressive: wave your arms and shout vigorously.
- Get spray out and ready.
- Fight back if it makes contact.
If a bear enters or reaches into your tent:
- Use your bear spray.
- Fight back.