A small, male black bear was struck and killed by a vehicle on U.S. 2 in Bad Rock Canyon Wednesday morning.

State wildlife expert Erik Wenum said Thursday the bear was found along the highway just west of the bridge to Hungry Horse.

“It happens in Bad Rock at least once or twice a year. The bears don’t have a lot of escape routes, they get down on the highway and depending on where they are, it’s very steep and they can’t get away,” Wenum said. “Drivers don’t have a lot of warning, either; they come around a bend and there’s a bear there and they have nowhere to go.”

Bear activity has been on the rise lately as the typically active, pre-denning season for bears has been compounded by a lack of natural food sources in dought-stricken Northwest Montana.

“Bears are still going to be out for a long period of time at this rate,” Wenum said. “We don’t have any cruddy weather coming and it’s pretty mild outside, so just police your yards and make sure you don’t have anything that bears are going to want to get into.”

Reporter Samuel Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at [email protected].