Grizzly Shot Near Kalispell Chicken Coop

So, here’s a sentence you never want to hear when you’re contemplating raising chickens:

“A grizzly bear was shot and killed after it charged a guy checking on his coop.”

Yet that’s exactly what happened last week near Kalispell.

The homeowner was on his way to his chicken coop near Foothill Road, but he had company. A grizzly bear with a thirst for chicken blood. According to NBC Montana, the bear charged the man, and he was not injured, but the bear didn’t survive. FWP’s investigating it, but it sure sounds like the guy did what he had to do.

Coop Dreams Meet Grizzly Reality

At this point, I’ve had serious thoughts about starting backyard chickens. Tiny egg-laying legends meandering in the yard. Maybe some dorky name, like Hen-rietta or Cluck Norris.

But stories like this? Just the sort of thing that gives me pause. Because up here, it’s not the raccoons or foxes you have to watch out for... It’s bears. Big, badass, breakfast-seeking grizzlies who are willing to charge a man over a few hens.

Bear Safety 101 (a.k.a. “Please Don’t Eat My Chickens”)

FWP would like to remind people that it’s bear country and we need to treat it as such.

Some tips:

• Secure your chicken feed. No plastic bins. Use metal cans. Tight lids.
• Make noise. Particularly in the early morning or at twilight.
• Carry bear spray. Even if you’re just walking around to see if there are any eggs.
• Don’t leave scraps around. Bears enjoy leftovers more than your dog.

So, Now What?

I still want chickens. Badly. But I also don’t want to be the next “Montana man faces off with grizzly” headline. So when I go full chicken rancher, you can bet I’m constructing the Alcatraz of chicken coops. Motion lights, steel latches, food inside. Even a little “Beware of Bear” sign, for laughs.

Because here in Montana, you don’t just raise chickens.

You’re hanging a snack sign for apex predators.