The stalking relationship between predators and livestock is part of the rhythm of life in Madison County. It unfolds on private ranchland and public range deep in the backcountry where the full extent of livestock loss can’t be calculated until the herds come down out of the high country in fall.
Early 1800s: Grizzly bears ranged from Alaska to Mexico and to the western shores of the Hudson Bay. Approximately 50,000 grizzlies lived in this area during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
1959: Approximately 200 grizzlies counted in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).
Donivan Campbell wrapped his hands around the back of his head and neck as a grizzly bear pinned him face down in a forest west of Black Butte, the highest peak of the Gravelly Mountains. He felt the moist warmth of the bear’s mouth on the hand covering his head as a large tooth slid between his fingers.
65 N. MT Hwy 287
Ennis, MT 59729
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