Two bald eagle chicks relocated

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks worked in close partnership with the Montana Raptor Conservation Center to relocate two orphaned bald eagle chicks last week in southwest Montana.

The eaglets were rescued April 24 from a nest on state land just east of Interstate 90 in north Bozeman shortly after two adult bald eagles were found dead below the nest. A cause of death hasn’t been determined for the adult eagles, and they were turned over to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for further testing.

The Raptor Center worked with a trained climber to retrieve the eaglets, which were then taken to the Center for food, fluids and evaluation. Both chicks were in good condition.

Adult bald eagles will usually adopt orphaned eaglets placed in an active nest with healthy habitat nearby. This presents the best chance at survival in the wild for orphaned eaglets, which cannot be raised in captivity and later released. FWP located a nest on private land south of Clarkston that met these criteria and worked with the landowner and Montana Rail Link to gain access to the nest.

The climber again assisted the Montana Raptor Conservation Center and FWP in successfully placing the orphaned eaglets in the nest. FWP appreciated the teamwork among Montana Raptor Conservation Center, the volunteer climber, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Montana Rail Link and a willing landowner for their collaborative efforts to relocate the eaglets.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the lead agency investigating the death of the two adult eagles from Bozeman. But anyone with information on the case can provide tips anonymously by calling 1-800-TIP-MONT.

Montana’s SuperTag chances for the hunt of a lifetime are on sale.

Hunters can win the SuperTag drawing by purchasing one or more $5 SuperTag chances for the fall 2020 hunting season.

Eight SuperTag hunt licenses are offered, including moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, elk, deer, antelope, mountain lion and bison. Winners may hunt any district open to the species for which they won a tag.

SuperTags are available at all FWP offices, license providers, or online at fwp.mt.gov using FWP’s online licensing service.

A 2020 conservation license is needed to purchase a SuperTag. For more information visit the SuperTag page on FWP’s website.

Proceeds from SuperTag sales go to enhance hunting access and enforcement.

Two grizzly bears were euthanized recently after the bears became food conditioned from accessing bird feeders, unsecured chicken feed, and other sources near residences north of Columbia Falls.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear specialists captured an adult female grizzly bear and its three yearlings on private property off Witty Lane. Local residents had reported the bears were getting into bird feeders on porches, eating unsecured chicken feed and killing chickens, and had pushed open a barn door to access pig feed. After talking with the local resident, FWP staff learned the group of bears had previously gotten into bird feeders and pig feed last fall, but the incidents were not reported to FWP.

In accordance with Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee guidelines and in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the adult female was euthanized due to food conditioning, which occurs when wildlife lose natural foraging habits.

Prior to capture, one of the yearlings appeared to be limping, and after further review at a local veterinarian clinic it was determined that the bear had a broken bone in its foot. After consultation with the USFWS, the female yearling was euthanized due to its injury.

FWP consulted with the USFWS and National Park Service and moved the other female yearlings to the Logging Creek area in Glacier National Park.

It is important for homeowners to keep food attractants secured. Attractants include garbage, pet and livestock food, birdfeeders, and fruit trees, but also include livestock, gardens, and outdoor food cookers.

The best way to secure an attractant is to make it inaccessible to the animal by containing it within a secure hard-sided building (a structure with four-sided walls, roof and door). IGBC certified bear-resistant containers are useful in preventing the bear from learning that an attractant could be a food source.

If containment inside a secure structure is not practical, properly installed and maintained electric fencing is a very effective tool. Loud noise, such as banging pots and pans, using an air horn or your car alarm, or shouting, is also a simple yet effective short-term way to deter a bear. Other temporary and short-term deterrents include high decibel motion-activated alarms, sprinkler systems, motion lights and radios turned on at night.

Feeding wildlife, such as bears and deer, is illegal.

Residents should report bear activity as soon as possible. To report grizzly bear activity in the greater Flathead Valley, call FWP bear management specialists at 406-250-1265.

To report black bear and mountain lion activity in the greater Flathead Valley, call 406-250-0062). To report bear activity in the Cabinet-Yaak area, call 406-291-1320.

For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/species/grizzlyBear.