FWP workers captured a young grizzly bear in the Ferndale area on Tuesday, near Bigfork. They caught the bear, collared it, and relocated it around the Hungry Horse Reservoir area.

An FWP grizzly bear specialist says the animal is about two to two and a half years old, and weighs about 120 pounds. The bear had been feeding on grass, and according to FWP, is at the age that the mother starts sending bears off on their own.

?This is the age where bears are first kicked out from the mother,? said FWP spokesman John Fraley. ?So they?re understandably going to be maybe wandering a little bit, looking for a territory. It?s very common, there?s nothing unusual about it, but it does point out to people that you should really be looking for the possibility of seeing bears now because they?re basically out of their dens.?

Fraley said folks should be taking proper precautions, such as bringing in garbage at night and carrying pepper spray when hiking.