JACKSON HOLE, WYO – As if weather conditions won’t make locating, packing, and hauling antlers out of the backcountry beginning at midnight tonight, shed hunters will also need to contend with a grizzly bear spotted today near the Elk Refuge and Flat Creek.
Bears can be active at any hour and antler seekers are advised to be vigilant about carrying bear spray and being prepared for an encounter. Have situational awareness. Anticipate trouble and be mindful you are not the only living thing in the forest that goes bump in the night.
The grizzly is believed to be a male. It is collared. Bridger-Teton officials say the bear was feeding on winter kill but they believe that the carcass is mostly eaten and the bear is moving on. Still, it was last seen in the Flat Creek area at the boundary of the National Elk Refuge. It likely remains nearby.
Shed hunters are also asked to be smart about where they attempt to drive, horseride, and walk. Conditions in the forest are very springlike—muddy, snowy, and maybe a bit of both. Be careful note to get into a place you cannot get out of. Extra forest service personnel will be in the field to make sure everything goes smoothly for the end of winter closure land rush.
