Sitting on the forest floor in the Gravelly Range, surrounded by swaying pines, golden aspen leaves, and my equally excited colleagues Erin, Tiffany, and Kathy, I popped open my laptop and eagerly waited for the contents of the SD card to appear on my screen. It was early October, and we were at one of 10 trail cameras GYC had deployed in southwest Montana’s Gravelly Range back in June to try and document grizzly bear presence. I simply could not wait to walk back to the vehicle to see who had traveled by the camera, so I lugged my computer into each camera site.

(L-R) GYC’s Montana Conservation Coordinator Sally Schrank and Special Projects Organizer Erin Steva in southwest Montana’s Gravelly Range collecting trail cameras at the end of field season. (Photo GYC/Kathy Rinaldi)

We were not disappointed. With each click of the next arrow, we revealed the wildlife that call this rugged mountain range home. It was thrilling, and sometimes a little unnerving, to realize the creatures that had meandered through where we sat just days, or hours, earlier. We captured herds of elk, black bears of all shapes and colors, bull moose locking antlers, bobcats, a sandhill crane, coyotes, owls, foxes, hares, cows, squirrels, and mountain lions.

Thinking like a bear? I think we nailed it! Back in June, GYC’s Special Projects Organizer Erin Steva traveled this exact path to see if the trail camera was positioned properly to pick up wildlife. Sure enough, about a month later this shaggy cinnamon black bear was caught on the trail camera. (Right Photo London Bernier/GYC)

It was clear we had successfully placed each camera on a game trail, but to our disappointment none of our cameras captured our intended subjects: grizzly bears. But GYC was only responsible for 10 of 75 cameras placed across the Gravellies; according to the other groups checking cameras, there were plenty of grizzly bears captured by other cameras.

BLACK BEARS of the Gravelly Range

As you may have read in our blog about deploying the trail cameras back in July, GYC has been working for years to ensure that ranchers’ livelihoods remain intact while grizzly bears thrive on this landscape. After all, working lands like ranches provide vital habitat for all kinds of wildlife. Making sure ranches stay viable and continue operating is a key way we work to preserve open lands across Greater Yellowstone.

This camera study is just one small part of our overarching efforts to answer the question, “how can bears and humans coexist in Greater Yellowstone?” This study narrows in on southwest Montana and our ranching partners in the Ruby Valley.

Ranchers from the Ruby Valley have been grazing cattle in the adjacent Gravelly Range for decades, but as grizzly bear populations rebound and expand, the dynamics between livestock and bears are evolving. Ranchers who graze cattle on this landscape want to keep their cows safe from bears and conservationists (and conservation-minded ranchers) want to keep bears safe from getting into trouble. Both of those things require having a better understanding of the interactions between bears and cattle.

Data collected by the 75 cameras throughout the Gravellies are now being analyzed by undergraduate students at Colorado State University. Sometime this winter we will have initial results. These results and experiences from the field season will inform the project for next summer.

We can all look forward to more photos next year – I know I will be waiting through the long winter to get back to the Gravellies.

WILDLIFE of the Gravelly Range

While we did not capture any grizzly bears on our trail cameras, we managed to get an incredible look at the variety of wildlife that call this mountain range home.