NORTHWEST MONTANA — Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks bear management specialists meet every year in mid-March to prepare for “bear season.” About that same time, male grizzly bears are stirring, soon to emerge from their dens.

This natural cycle affects Montanans too — it is why April 1 is the target date for bringing in winter bird feeders and seed, cleaning yards and collecting and disposing of bear attractants that have accumulated over the winter.

“People ask me the best way to prevent encounters and possible conflicts with bears,” said Jamie Jonkel, FWP bear management specialist in Missoula. “Cleaning up potential food attractants around residences and ranches very early in the spring is the single most important step in spring.”

Jonkel said hungry bears just emerging from hibernation are powerfully attracted by livestock carcasses, frozen and thawing garbage stored in trailers for the winter, grain and feed, and pet food left outdoors.

Tim Manley, an FWP Region 1 grizzly bear management specialist, urges residents in the area he serves to be vigilant about the April 1 clean up date.

“The earlier in April residents clean up around their homes and secure food attractants the better results they will have,” he said. “A deep mountain snowpack or early spring snowfall can push hungry bears coming out of hibernation into the valley bottoms in search of nourishment.

Manley is hoping to avoid the high level of bear management activity required in 2011.

“Last year there were 32 individual grizzly bears captured a total of 47 times for management reasons in FWP Region 1 May 16-Nov. 21,” Manley said. “The average number of grizzly bear captures is 17 a year.”

Kim Annis, an FWP Region 1 grizzly bear management specialist out of Libby, reports that many of the conflicts experienced last year in Northwestern Montana involved bears getting into chicken coops. It seems a growing number of people are keeping chickens, and unsecured chickens will attract coyotes, raccoons, skunks, domestic dogs, coyotes and bobcats, as well as bears.

FWP bear managers strongly urge anyone raising poultry in Western Montana to use quality electric fencing around the chicken pen and coop.

“I loan and set up electric fencing for residents because it is an effective way to prevent conflicts with bears and other wildlife. When people have a chance to see it work they often decide to install their own,” Annis said.

Annis is updating the guide on electric fencing how-to’s, accessible on the FWP website (fwp.mt.gov) on the Be Bear Aware page.

“This year I am also trying to organize a volunteer fruit picking group that would be willing to assist homeowners that are unable to pick their own fruit,” she said. “Fruit trees are another bear attractant and a major source of conflict in this area.”

Annis also reports that the Kootenai National Forest has signed a mandatory food storage order for the entire forest, putting it on a par with other National Forest lands with grizzly bears.