Many people exploring Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains often wonder if grizzly bears roam these peaks. The short answer is no: there are no established grizzly bear populations in the Bighorn Mountains.
Grizzly Bear Presence in the Bighorns
The Bighorns fall outside the current designated grizzly bear recovery zones in the contiguous United States. These recovery zones primarily include the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), which spans parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in Montana.
While a subadult male grizzly bear was recently euthanized in the Bighorn Mountains after preying on livestock, this was an extremely rare occurrence. The bear was found more than 80 miles from the eastern boundary of the established Demographic Monitoring Area for grizzlies, indicating it was a transient individual, not part of a resident population.
Why the Bighorns Are Not Grizzly Territory
Historically, grizzly bears occupied a much broader range across North America, extending from Alaska down to Mexico and from the Pacific Coast to the western Great Plains. However, by the time the Endangered Species Act was implemented in 1975, their numbers in the lower 48 states had dwindled to fewer than 1,000, eliminated from approximately 98% of their former range due to habitat loss, hunting, and human conflict. The Bighorn Mountains were part of this historical range, but grizzlies were extirpated from the area over a century ago.
Grizzly bears require expansive, undisturbed areas with diverse food sources, including vegetation, berries, insects, and carrion. While the Bighorns offer some suitable habitat, they lack the continuous wilderness corridors that connect to existing grizzly populations, which would facilitate natural recolonization. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department manage grizzly populations within designated recovery zones, and they do not consider the Bighorn Mountain Range suitable habitat for establishing new populations due to potential human-bear conflicts.
Distinguishing Bighorn Bears
Since grizzly bears are not established in the Bighorns, any bear encountered in this region is likely a black bear. Black bears in the Bighorns can exhibit a wide range of colors, from black to brown, cinnamon, or even blonde, so color alone is not a reliable identification characteristic.
Several physical features help distinguish black bears from grizzly bears. Grizzly bears typically have a noticeable shoulder hump, a dished facial profile (a concave shape between the eyes and the tip of the nose), and smaller, more rounded ears. Their front claws are also notably long, ranging from 2 to 4.5 inches, an adaptation for digging.
In contrast, black bears lack a prominent shoulder hump, possess a straighter facial profile from forehead to nose, and have larger, more pointed ears. Their front claws are shorter, generally less than 2 inches, and are more curved, suited for climbing trees. Awareness of these distinctions is important for safely navigating bear country.