This is horrible news.

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I’ve been at Soda Butte a few times and the place always left me feeling a bit spooked.

According to early reports, this happened at around 4 a.m., which seems to be a very bad time to encounter a bear.

You can see a very detailed page of Soda Butte Campground here:

Soda Butte Campground

UPDATE:

The Billings Gazette seems to have the most info on this story and their proximity to Cooke City is good. You can follow the story at their link:

Billings Gazette

I feel horrible for the guy who was camped by himself at the edge of the campground. I guess because I see a lot of myself in that situation. It can happen to anyone.

Although bears are not “evil” as some would have you believe, they are dangerous and not cute and cuddly.

My heart goes out to the man’s family. They even used his tent fly as part of the culvert trap.

Who knows what the morning light will reveal.

Update # 2:

They have captured a grizzly mother and two cubs. A third cub is on the perimeter and will likely be trapped soon. In all honesty I hope this isn’t the bear. It would be sad to see this mother grizzly killed, and her three cubs also killed or sent to a zoo.

Those in charge are waiting for a DNA test to confirm, and the results should be back today.

Something always felt “off” to me about this campground. It’s very scenic, but it also seems to be in a wildlife corridor between the Absaroka Range and the Beartooth Range.

Update # 3:

The mother grizzly has been killed after DNA tests revealed her to be the attacker. The cubs will either be brought to a zoo or killed.

Very sad story all around.

Bizarre story. This is a monster, 40 pound and 100 foot long jellyfish known as a Lion’s Mane.

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What a remarkable creature!

I wish the headline was a joke, but it’s not. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks killed the bear after it ate two chickens. They tried to find a zoo for a few days, but there were no takes so now it’s dead. Wow, they really tried hard.

I honestly can’t wait for $10 a gallon gas. I’ve mentioned this before, but it will likely be the single best thing for wildlife. It will force many of these “ranchers” (really just junkyards with a few lammas and chickens) back into the city.

There is much discussion recently over the doubling of Montana’s wolf quota. Without a doubt, the number one reason cited for this quota increase by wolf hunters is to grow the Montana elk herd.

OK, fair enough. Wolves eat elk. I can see how some who like high elk numbers would shudder at the thought of wolves taking down “their” game. Also, I’m not against elk hunting at all, but I think a little common sense should be put in play here.

Putting aside the science, and putting aside the data which indicates the Montana elk herds are doing fine, I have to ask what I consider to be an important question:

If you are really so concerned about elk numbers, maybe….stop shooting them?

That might help.

Bummer. This 185 pound grizzly was poking around tents in Norris campground. That’s never a good thing. While I’m a big fan of Norris campground, it’s a shame that there are so many places “pushed on” by mankind that a perhaps curious bear is sentenced to a life behind bars for simply exploring.

Over the years I have noticed a creeping feeling that maybe its time to manage some of our parks and forests for the wildlife – a place where they can be left alone – and that includes collaring and tracking for research. Of course, when I reach that thought, another thought comes stumbling in – the thought of our egos not allowing such a thing to exist.

I would have liked to have seen this bear relocated. It’s the wild.