North Idaho Bear Fair returns Sept. 26 with free bear spray, electric fence demos and cider pressing

If you live in north Idaho, you live in bear country. Plain and simple.

Black bears range across the entire Panhandle, and Bonner and Boundary counties sit squarely in grizzly country. Fall is the hardest season to share with them, as bears are packing on calories ahead of winter. Oftentimes, apple trees, garbage cans, chicken coops, beehives and livestock that make up a north Idaho fall are exactly what they are looking for.

To help residents get ready, Idaho Fish and Game and its partners are hosting the free North Idaho Bear Fair from 12 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Boundary County Fairgrounds, 6567 Recreation Park Road, Bonners Ferry.

No registration is required, and the event is open to all ages. Food will be served while supplies last, and attendees can enter to win door prizes.

Stop a charging grizzly

The centerpiece of the event is Fish and Game's remote-controlled charging grizzly bear. Participants can experience the reality of a bear running straight at them so they can practice drawing and firing an inert canister of bear spray under real pressure. Owning bear spray and knowing how to use it are two different things, and three seconds is not enough time to read the instructions.

Everyone who completes the training will take home a free canister of bear spray, while supplies last.

What else you'll find

• Electric fencing demonstrations covering the basics of protecting chicken coops, beehives, gardens, orchards, livestock and other attractants on your property.
• Fish and Game's livestock carcass pickup program: how it works and how to use it to get a powerful bear attractant off your land.
• Camping in bear country: food storage, camp setup and what to do if a bear comes into camp.
• A community cider press: bring your own apples and containers and go home with fresh cider. Unpicked and fallen fruit is one of the most common things that pulls bears into north Idaho yards, so this one does double duty.
• Staff from Fish and Game and every partner agency on-hand to answer questions about your specific property, neighborhood or hunting spot.

Morgan Pfander, Fish and Game Grizzly Bear Biologist in the Panhandle said of the event, “The North Idaho Bear Fair is a great opportunity for long-time residents, newcomers and visitors to refresh their bear spray skills, learn about available resources and put their extra apples and pears to good use. We’re looking forward to another strong turnout this year!”.

For more information

The North Idaho Bear Fair is a partnership among Idaho Fish and Game, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Wildlife Services, the Idaho Governor's Office of Species Conservation and the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative.

Please contact the Panhandle Regional office at (208) 769-1414 with any questions or to report unusual or dangerous bear encounters in the Panhandle.

Follow the Panhandle Region Facebook page for regular news and updates.