WGFD Has Good Advice To Be Bear-Wise and Keep Casper Bears Away

I'm sure you've heard by now that the Casper Police Department and Wyoming Game and Fish Department dealt with an unwanted guest that was roaming Casper.

It was reported on Sunday morning that a black bear was spotted and captured by WGFD. Shortly after the bear incident, WGFD's Janet Milek and Justin Binfet were guests on Wyoming Hookin' & Huntin' Outdoors to discuss living in large carnivore country.

It seems many people forget we live in bear and mountain lion country. In recent months the reports of mountain lion and bear sightings have been up and WGFD Wildlife Management Coordinator Justin Binfet say's there are a couple reasons why:

most of it can be attributed to we just got more folks out and about in lion country. A lot of that stuff along the base of the mountain has gotten more and more developed over the years. We have folks with lots of home security cameras now that they didn't used to always have and so some of these folks are picking up these lions sighting on their actual home security cameras.

Even though bear and mountain lion sightings aren't a new thing around the Casper area, making sure that you're being bear-wise is VERY important. The bear sighting over the weekend is definitely reason enough to remind you how to be vigilant and aware. Binfet says

The risk can certainly be minimized with the proper precautions and human behaviors. Public safety is always paramount, it's always our number one concern anytime we have a situation with large carnivores and people on the landscape. We don't want to overreact to situation either, these black bears and lions have always been here and will continue to be here. We feel like humans and these large carnivores can live responsibly together.

To be more aware of your responsibilities concerning what to do or not do 'Living In Large Carnivore Country' you're invited to attend a FREE workshop on June 16th at the Wyoming Game and Fish Office at 6pm.

During the workshop you'll learn

• bear and mountain lion behavior
• securing things that attract large carnivores
• tools to reduce an encounter
• what to do if you to encounter a large carnivore
• how to use bear spray and where to get it

If you have any questions, you can contact WGFD by phone 307-473-3401