Skip to main content
idfg-badge

Idaho Fish and Game

Black bear with huckleberries in the background

Bear roaming SE Boise last spotted early May 30 near diversion dam off Idaho 21

idfg-rphillips

Officials continue to monitor bear's movement and are prioritizing public safety

Fish and Game is asking people to report any sightings of a black bear that was last spotted at about 6:15 a.m., May 30 near the New York Canal diversion off Idaho 21 east of Boise. It is likely the bear has left the area and returned to natural bear habitat. 

Fish and Game started getting reports of the black bear in Southeast Boise on Wednesday, May 29. The bear was reported that morning near Micron, and Fish and Game received numerous reports of the bear wandering in the areas between Micron, Columbia Village, Barber Pool Conservation Area, and the New York Canal diversion off Idaho 21. 

Officers reported that it appeared to be about a 2-year-old black bear. If anyone sees the bear, they are asked to report it by calling (208) 465-8465. 

Fish and Game officials will always prioritize public safety when wildlife is near cities, towns and homes. If a bear remains in close proximity to where people frequent, Fish and Game personnel attempt to immobilize the bear and move it, but may have to dispatch it if immobilizing it is not a safe and viable option. 

Boise periodically has black bears that move through the area, but typically in the fall. Bears come out of hibernation in the spring and typically feed on new vegetation, but with ample forage available, it’s uncommon for a bear to come into the city looking for food this time of year.

Idaho has a healthy and sustainable black bear population, and they are commonly found in the Boise Foothills and elsewhere in Southwest Idaho. An estimated 20,000 and 30,000 black bears live in Idaho, and some of those bears spend part of their year near cities, towns and homes. 

Here's more information about living in black bear country.