Black bear euthanized at Beavertail Hill State Park after entering campers' tent

MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) euthanized a black bear that entered a tent at Beavertail Hill State Park campground on Tuesday morning.

FWP said the bear entered the tent while campers were in it, but nobody was injured. 

FWP said it euthanized the bear because it had become habituated to people and remained in the area looking for food and other attractants.

Beavertail Hill State Park is an accessible park with 24 campsites that sits about 30 miles east of Missoula. The park is on-half miles from the Clark Fork River and is often used for fishing or floating.

In its announcement about the bear’s euthanization, FWP shared a list of “bear aware” strategies for people venturing into the outdoors to avoid issues. The following six points were on its list:

• Keep food and anything with a scent out of tents.
• Dispose of garbage in bear-resistant bins; do not bury or burn garbage.
• Carry bear spray in an accessible place and know how to use it.
• Stay alert and look for bear activity and make noise periodically, especially where visibility or hearing is limited.
• Travel in groups and avoid night, dawn or dusk hours whenever possible.
• When on the trail, avoid carcass sites and concentrations of ravens and other scavengers.

Black bears live throughout Montana. For outdoor travellers near specific park areas across the state, bear spray rental programs are available.

For residents in certain areas of Missoula County, restrictions like the county’s “bear buffer zone” require the use of bear-safe containers to reduce human-bear conflict.