Dozens of bears, one bad berry crop
Morning. It is going to hit 81 today, which in October is either a gift or a quiet worry, depending on how you feel about the snow that isn't falling yet. That same warm, dry fall is part of why it has been a rough year for bears, which is where we start. Then a quiet night at City Hall worth one look, your 5 p.m. voter deadline, and an easy week of outings. Coffee's on.
It has been a brutal fall to be a bear in the Gallatin Valley.
Beyond the 14 black bears wardens put down north of town last month after someone had been feeding them, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks says this has been one of its worst bear years in recent memory. The agency has euthanized a few dozen black bears across the region in 2026, against a normal year of eight to ten, and relocated more than 16, where the usual count runs eight to twelve.
That 14-bear case was its own grim, human-caused story. The wider surge is mostly about food. FWP information officer Morgan Jacobsen points to two things, a healthy and growing bear population and a berry crop that came in poor to failed this year. When the huckleberries fail, bears go looking, and a garbage can or a bird feeder on the edge of town is an easy meal that teaches exactly the wrong lesson.
The fix is unglamorous and it is on us. Secure the obvious attractants now, before bears fatten up for the den: trash, pet food, bird feeders, the greasy grill on the deck. And if you do see a bear getting into something it shouldn't, Jacobsen asks that you call it in early. "The sooner we know about it," he said, "the more tools and options we have to deal with that conflict and that bear without having to put it down." Early is often the difference between a bear that gets scared off and one that doesn't get the chance.
Tuesday night's City Commission agenda is quiet, which makes the one work session on it worth a look.
The commission meets Tuesday (Oct. 6) at 6 p.m., and most of the night is housekeeping, a stack of consent items, final sign-off on a new block of the Gran Cielo subdivision, the annual Fire Prevention Week proclamation. The part to watch is a work session on community ballot issues, the early, no-vote conversation about what the city might eventually ask taxpayers to fund.
Nothing gets decided at a work session, and the agenda does not spell out which measures are on the table. But in a fast-growing town where the budget never quite catches the need, this is where the next bond or levy starts taking shape, long before it reaches your ballot. Commissioners also get a special presentation on the 70th session of the Montana Legislature. If you have opinions about what the city should or shouldn't put to voters down the road, this is the room where that story begins.
Today is your last chance to register to vote the easy way for the Nov. 3 election. Regular registration closes at 5 p.m., and after that the only path left is showing up in person at the county Election Department. If you have been meaning to, this is the morning.
Montana has a new person running its roads. Gov. Greg Gianforte named Larry Flynn to lead the Department of Transportation, effective Oct. 1. Flynn has been at MDT nearly two decades, most recently as deputy director, and now owns an agency with a billion-dollar budget and about 2,000 employees, which means everything from pothole season to the valley's next highway fight runs through his desk.
The water year rolled over Oct. 1, the twelve-month clock the city watches to see what the snowpack will hand it, and Bozeman marked the date by giving away free high-efficiency shower heads. "On Oct. 1, we're able to look at how our snowpack builds," said water conservation manager Jessica Ahlstrom. A small gesture at the start of the year that quietly decides how tight things get by August.
A genuinely summery week sneaks in, sunny and near 81 today, then 77 Tuesday and mid-70s the rest of the week, with mornings in the upper 40s. Bank it. The furnace can wait a few more days.
Monday (Oct. 5):
Pint nights with Tinworks at MAP Brewing, 4 to 8 p.m., free to walk in. The art nonprofit takes over the taproom out on Manley, a fine way to end a Monday by the water.
Tuesday (Oct. 6): Backwoods Menace plays the Haufbrau, 9 p.m., no cover, 21-plus. Cheap and loud, which is exactly what a Tuesday at the Hauf is for.
Wednesday (Oct. 7): Dr. Devon Orem presents "Prehistory" at the Museum of the Rockies, 5:30 p.m., free for members and $5 otherwise. The MOR after hours, minus the field-trip crowds.
Wednesday (Oct. 7): Make a zine for Banned Books Week at Country Bookshelf, 6 p.m., free. Scissors, glue, and a little first-amendment energy downtown.
The schools' coat drive is on, and the need keeps climbing.
The Bozeman Schools Foundation says requests for winter gear have jumped from about 25 kids four years ago to nearly 500 last year. New coats, boots, snow pants, hats, and gloves can go to the front office of any district school through Oct. 31, or mail a check to the foundation at PO Box 1803. The goal, director Laura Kuntz said, is keeping "students focused on learning, not on whether they have what they need to stay warm." And while winter is on your mind, the Bridger Ski Foundation's 58th ski swap lands Nov. 7 and 8 at the fairgrounds.