This has been a bad year for "problem" bears. Last Monday, the Daily Inter Lake posted a waspish editorial on the issue . . .
They call it a "hip pocket" law that game wardens should only use when absolutely necessary -- namely, citations for illegally feeding bears or other wildlife.
Well, when 24 grizzly bears wind up dead and local bear managers are running in circles trying to keep up with an overwhelming number of conflicts between bears and people, it may be time to reach for the hip pocket more often.
Read the full editorial . . .
From the Thursday, October 21, 2004 issue of the Daily Inter Lake . . .
A North Fork man has pleaded innocent after he was recently cited for feeding bears and other wildlife near his home.
Warden Lee Anderson of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said William Molchan was cited in early October for "providing supplemental feed to game animals in a manner that resulted in a threat to public safety" in the Home Ranch Bottoms area near Polebridge.
Read the entire article . . .