Black bear tears up campsite in the Big Horns

On Monday, July 6, at approximately 3:30 p.m., the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was notified by Bighorn National Forest personnel that two campers reported a black bear trying to enter their tents while camping near Fool Creek in the Big Horn Mountains the previous night, the Game and Fish Dept. stated in a prepared release.

The campers, Shonna Dehl of Lovell and Maggie Bassett of Powell, reported that they fired shots at the bear, then moved to a different location for the rest of the night.

Within an hour of receiving the report, three Game and Fish personnel were responding to the scene to investigate and begin setting traps. Four traps were set in the area with the intent to capture and euthanize the bear to protect public safety. Signs were placed in the area advising the public of active trapping efforts taking place. 

Personnel also contacted campers in the vicinity of the incident and advised them of the situation, the Game and Fish reported. No other campers reported conflicts. They were asked to secure attractants in their campsites.

The personnel remained nearby overnight to monitor the traps. The traps were left in place until the morning of July 8. No bear was captured, and no further incidents have been reported as of July 14.

Additional signage has been placed in the area informing the public of the recent bear activity and advising that campers secure attractants. The Bighorn National Forest has a wildlife attractant storage requirement in place requiring forest users to secure any potential attractants so they are unavailable to bears and other wildlife.

Members of the public are encouraged to follow Bear Wise practices when camping or recreating in bear country to reduce the potential for a bear conflict.

“Unfortunately, the warning signs indicating that bear trapping was taking place in the area were removed by unknown members of the public,” said Sheridan Game Warden Jesse Niemeir. “This could have created a safety issue for other members of the public who did not receive notice of bear trapping taking place. Additionally, it’s possible that by spending time in the vicinity of our traps, these individuals may have interfered with our ability to successfully capture this bear.

“We need the public’s cooperation in situations like this. This includes reporting any conflicts as quickly as possible to Game and Fish, Forest Service personnel or a local law enforcement agency.”