COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Wildlife managers in northern Idaho are warning people to be on the watch for grizzly bears after one was reported in the Coeur d’Alene National Forest.
Idaho Fish and Game regional wildlife biologist Barb McCall Moore said in a statement that the bear was confirmed northeast of Magee on Oct. 6, the Coeur d’Alene Press reported.
Bears are most active this time of year as they try to consume enough food to prepare for winter. McCall Moore said that means bears can be active throughout the day and night, covering large areas of ground as they search for food.
Black bears are common throughout northern Idaho but grizzlies are rarer and most often observed in the Cabinet and Selkirk mountain ranges. It’s estimated there are between 40 and 50 grizzly bears in the northernmost part of the state.