Fish and Game relocates black bear cub out of Ketchum

The young bear had started to show signs of wanting to den under decks, which prompted Fish and Game to trap the bear and relocate it to a more suitable black bear habitat.

"We gave this young-of-the-year bear a pass, if you will, because of its age and the hope that it won't continue to seek out human food sources next year," according to Mike McDonald, Regional Wildlife Manager with the Magic Valley Region, "the bear had become food-conditioned and our concern was that it would den inside city limits, then next spring, come out of hibernation and fall back into its learned behavior of finding human sourced food, which could easily lead to a public safety issue. So, we made the decision to trap and relocate the bear in the mountains north of Carey."

The bear was estimated to weigh 60 pounds, which is more than a typical young-of-the-year cub would typically weigh. Biologists surmised this was due to the amount of food the bear was continuing to find in Ketchum.

One of the factors that can influence when a bear goes into hibernation is a natural lack of food resources as fall turns into winter. Bears that have found human-sources of food, typically in communities, have been shown to delay or even forgo hibernation. Because of this, residents are asked to continue to secure their residential garbage carts in either a garage or locked shed. Bird feeders should be taken down and secured in a garage or shed at night to discourage bears from finding an easy high-calorie food source.

For more information about how to keep Idaho bears wild contact your local Fish and Game office.