9th Grizzly Relocated to Remote Location in Bighorn Basin

Six grizzlies in the Five Mile Creek drainage – another cattle-killing bear finds a new home in Shoshone National Forest, courtesy of Wyoming Game and Fish.

After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has captured and relocated another grizzly to the Bighorn Basin this summer. And, once again, the bear was released in the Five Mile Creek drainage, a secure and remote location in Shoshone National Forest.

The bear in question – an adult male– was captured for cattle depredation on a grazing allotment north of Pinedale. In conjunction with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, the grizzly was released in Shoshone National Forest, 47 miles west of Cody and five miles east of the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Courtesy National Park Service

This is the ninth grizzly relocated to the Bighorn Basin in Summer 2021, the sixth release in the Five Mile Creek drainage, and the fourth relocated from Pinedale in 2021.

Several grizzlies have already been relocated to areas within Shoshone National Forest. This grizzly is the fourth relocated out of Pinedale this summer alone.

• An adult male captured near Meeteetse and relocated to the Sunlight Creek drainage in mid-April.
• An adult male captured near Meeteetse and relocated to the Jojo Drainage in late April.
• A sub-adult male captured near a North Fork guest ranch and relocated to the Fox Creek drainage in late June.
• An adult male captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage in early July.
• A sub-adult female captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage in late July.
• An adult male captured near Thermopolis and relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage in mid-August.
• A subadult female captured near Pinedale and relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage in late August.
• An adult female captured near Dubois and relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage in early September.

So why are so many Pinedale grizzlies banished to the Five Mile Creek drainage?

The drainage appears to be an ideal spot for relocated bears specifically involved in cattle depredation. Over the past few years, several grizzlies captured near Pinedale have been “banished” to the Fivemile Creek drainage, often due to cattle depredation. Pinedale grizzles were relocated to the same spot in 2018 and 2020.

According to Wyoming Game and Fish, the drainage is specifically chosen as a relocation site “due to the lack of human presence” and the area’s isolation. In one instance – a grizzly relocated for eating animal feed – one of the perks of the Fivemile Creek drainage was the ability to release the bear behind a closed gate.