Tell the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife & Parks: 

Require Hunters and Trappers to Carry Readily Accessible Bear Spray in Grizzly Habitat 

We the undersigned support the petition submitted to the Montana FWP on July 21, 2026 by nineteen Montana organizations and 46 individuals to adopt rules that would require hunters and trappers to carry readily accessible bear spray when hunting or trapping in grizzly bear habitat. The primary purpose of the proposed rule is public safety and to avoid death and injury to people and to prevent the death of grizzly bears, the official State Animal of Montana.

Too many grizzly bears are being shot in encounters with humans. Bear spray is an effective, non-lethal alternative. Many survivors of grizzly bear encounters  have stated bear spray saved them from serious injury or death. A study published in the Journal of Wildlife Management found spray stopped bears’ undesirable behavior 92% of the time when used on grizzly bears; 90% for black bears and 100% for polar bears and of all persons carrying sprays, 98% were uninjured by bears in close-range encounters.

For more information and to donate to the campaign visit Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force at www.montanaforestplan.org

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