Drones And Grizzly Management In Montana: What You Need To Know

Montana Grizzly Bears Aren't Really Black Sabbath Fans

Cowboy State Daily is reporting that drones are becoming a prime tool in grizzly management. But, sometimes the sound of the drone its self isn't enough to scare off the grizzlies. Dave Kemp from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Conrad-area grizzly bear management, said that adding some human type sounds often helps. Montana FWP is working to make grizzly bears associate the drones with people. This type of thing is called hazing. They've also tried it in Wyoming and Colorado.

In Colorado, a bear climbed up a tree and officials tried, unsuccessfully, to get the bear out of the tree by having a drone blast Iron Man by Black Sabbath. It didn't phase the bear.

Why Drones In Grizzly Bear Management?

Drones have proven to be very effective in bear management. In addition to keeping humans safer, drones can find bears they may not have seen before using heat signature equipment. They can also be used to recon where bears are located before people go into the area.

In Wyoming, the drones are used for grizzly recon and sometimes hazing. In southwest Montana, they're used to find grizzlies.

 Grizzlies Are Intelligent, Will They Get Used To Hazing?

Both the Montana and Wyoming officials interviewed felt that with overuse, the bears could start tuning out the drones, human noises and even Ozzy. They stated that accidentally habituating the bears is always in the back of their mind, and they take great care to vary methods, so the hazing is more effective.

The main objective? Protect people, farms, ranches and livestock while protecting our grizzly population.