{"id":223262,"date":"2025-10-18T22:54:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T22:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/223262\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T22:54:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T22:54:11","slug":"more-grizzlies-than-ever-are-showing-up-on-the-b-bar-ranch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/223262\/","title":{"rendered":"More Grizzlies Than Ever Are Showing Up On The B Bar Ranch"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOM MINER BASIN, Mont. \u2014\u00a0Nick St. Peter backs his mud-splattered SUV with Colorado plates into a pullout along a dirt road running past the B Bar Ranch.<\/p>\n

After a moody October day that swung from snow squalls to golden-hour rainbows, conditions looked perfect for the annual caraway root digging that brings grizzly bears out in droves.<\/p>\n

“I look for a small black dot,” St. Peter said, pressing his eye to a spotting scope. “And any sort of movement.”<\/p>\n

The avid wildlife-watcher has been making this pilgrimage for 15 years. He’s counted more than 20 grizzlies at once in the nearby Reed Meadow, which isn\u2019t far from the northwest corner of Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n

“They’ll look a lot smaller than even those cows,” he explained, still glassing the meadow and shrugging at the absence of bears. They are out there somewhere, at least 40 known individual bears, who wander and hunt the meadows, willow bottoms, aspen groves and stands of evergreens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The B Bar sits at around 7,000 feet, and is an alpine Eden, holding water and remaining green through dry summers. On some parts of the ranch, it\u2019s still lush all the way into autumn.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On October evenings, grizzlies emerge from “the aspen curtain.\u201d That\u2019s what ranch staff call the wall of quaking aspens along the eastern edge of the rolling Reed Meadow. First, they’re just specks. Then they grow bigger. Sometimes they lumber right up toward the parking area, hunting for roots less than a football field away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TomTom Miner Basin is known for its significant grizzly bear population. Located just north of Yellowstone National Park, the basin is home to an estimated 40 grizzlies, part of the larger Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Courtesy: B Bar Ranch)\"TomTom Miner Basin is known for its significant grizzly bear population. Located just north of Yellowstone National Park, the basin is home to an estimated 40 grizzlies, part of the larger Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Courtesy: B Bar Ranch)\"TomTom Miner Basin is known for its significant grizzly bear population. Located just north of Yellowstone National Park, the basin is home to an estimated 40 grizzlies, part of the larger Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. (Courtesy: B Bar Ranch)\"NickNick St. Peter and Jackson Stewart glassing the aspen curtain. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)\"MaryanneMaryanne Mott bought the B Bar in 1978 and turned into a cattle operation and retreat center. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)\"HighHigh up the Tom Miner Basin, just across the Wyoming line, an organic cattle operation thrives alongside a growing number of grizzly bears, which draw wildlife watchers every October to see the bears feast on caraway root. (B Bar Ranch)Arrow leftArrow rightB Bar Begins<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal was to really share the experience,\u201d Maryanne Mott tells the world in a recent promotional video posted by the tourism group Yellowstone Country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was learning and experiencing myself,\u201d says Mott, describing her first encounter with the B Bar, flying over it in a Cessna in 1978. \u201cSeeing the landscape and all the life that’s in it was very special and I loved sharing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, the B Bar operates as a guest ranch for group retreats and what it estimates to be the largest organic beef operation in Montana.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mott\u2019s grandson, Jackson Stewart, is the marketing and sales manager for the B Bar. Three years ago, Stewart was selling software when he decided he was done pushing products he didn’t care about.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He drafted a job proposal for his grandmother and advocated for bringing “a current voice\u201d to the ranch\u2019s marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, at peak summer season, the B Bar employs about 20 people between the Tom Miner Basin headquarters and their winter range and beef operation down in Big Timber.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The guest portion of the ranch hosts retreat groups with missions ranging from wellness to business strategy to conservation. Some of Montana\u2019s most storied conservation groups held early, foundational gatherings at the B Bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis place was so magical, she thought that they could make a difference for groups who come visit here,\u201d said Stewart, who sees the ranch as an educational space enchanting enough to inspire all kinds of big ideas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It never ceases to amaze us how pristine this land feels and how we’re related to all the natural parts of it,\u201d said Stewart. \u201cIt\u2019s not only working on it day to day, but how everything here will surpass us. We’re just stewarding it for the time that we have the privilege of doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranching In Bear Country<\/p>\n

The B Bar loses some cattle to predators, but Stewart said it’s actually their smallest problem \u2014 behind cows mistakenly munching on poisonous plants like larkspur. Natural causes take some, with animals getting sick or breaking a leg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We’re not saying, \u2018Oh, we ought to let our cattle live by any means necessary,” Stewart explained. “It’s actually the opposite. The bears have every right to be here just as much as we do.”<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the grizzlies take what they want.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“A bear dug out a 10-foot deep carcass,” after a cow on the ranch passed away, recalled Stewart. “That\u2019s something we had to learn. Like, \u2018OK, they’re catching on. We need to change our practices.\u2019”<\/p>\n

The ranch also learned a thing or two about using fish emulsion as organic fertilizer when they tried adding fish hydrolysate to their center pivot irrigation systems to naturally fertilize the fields.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“That was quite popular with the bears. So we stopped doing that immediately,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Grizzly Country<\/p>\n

Every group that visits gets the safety talk: Travel in groups, make noise, carry bear spray and don\u2019t go on jogs alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bear encounters remain likely as more bears and more people are drawn to the Tom Miner Basin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Stewart remembered the time a fly-fishing guide on Tom Miner Creek had to defend himself from a grizzly. Once a hiker on Buffalo Horn Pass encountered a bear and just hiked up and over the high ridge separating the B Bar from the Big Sky area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I feel pretty confident traveling here when I take precautions,\u201d said Stewart, who avoids going out into grizzly habitat on windy days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bear can’t see you coming or smell you coming or hear you,\u201d said Stewart. \u201cEven if you’re doing everything right, there’s more likelihood that you startle a bear. And nobody \u2014\u00a0nothing \u2014 likes to be startled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"EntranceEntrance to the Grizzly Creek Ranch in the Tom Miner Basin. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)\"JacksonJackson Stewart, grandson of Maryanne Mott, who bought the B Bar in 1978 and turned into a cattle operation and retreat center. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)\"HighHigh up the Tom Miner Basin, just across the Wyoming line, an organic cattle operation thrives alongside a growing number of grizzly bears, which draw wildlife watchers every October to see the bears feast on caraway root. (B Bar Ranch)\"HighHigh up the Tom Miner Basin, just across the Wyoming line, an organic cattle operation thrives alongside a growing number of grizzly bears, which draw wildlife watchers every October to see the bears feast on caraway root. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)\"AtAt the B Bar Ranch, grizzly bears crowd the meadows in October digging for caraway roots. (B Bar Ranch)\"HighHigh up the Tom Miner Basin, just across the Wyoming line, an organic cattle operation thrives alongside a growing number of grizzly bears, which draw wildlife watchers every October to see the bears feast on caraway root. (David Madison, Cowboy State Daily)Arrow leftArrow rightPerfect Habitat<\/p>\n

Why do grizzlies love this place so much?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Start with geography: The basin sits wedged between Yellowstone National Park and the Porcupine-Buffalo Horn Wildlife and Recreation Management Area. As the crow flies, it’s only about 20 miles to Big Sky \u2014 Stewart figures you could probably get there faster on horseback than driving around.<\/p>\n

The basin offers everything a bear needs: reliable water even in dry years, habitat diversity from riparian willows to alpine meadows and lots of caraway roots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caraway is in the carrot family and like other favored roots such as biscuitroot and sweetvetch, it\u2019s something grizzlies will gorge on when building fat reserves for winter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It provides carbohydrates, fat and protein, while the mineral density \u2014 especially iron and calcium \u2014 supports physiological functions critical for the bears.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I think because of the lack of development here in the basin, animals are comfortable,” Stewart observed. “I’ve seen grizzlies next to elk, next to cattle, next to horses all at once. And they’re just doing their thing. They could care less about each other.”<\/p>\n

Guiding the ranch, said Stewart, is the belief that, \u201cThere should be a fair shake for all the animals. It’s not just the cattle. We’re taking advantage of the fertile grass to raise healthy animals so people can eat a good product at an affordable price. We don’t want that to have to be at the expense of any animal.”<\/p>\n

\"AA sow and two cubs in the Tom Miner Basin. (B Bar Ranch)Year-Round Magic<\/p>\n

The B Bar’s hospitality extends beyond the bear-watching season. In winter, they groom 15 miles of cross-country ski trails multiple times per week. Last year, a few hundred Nordic skiers discovered what Bozeman-area skiers know is increasingly rare \u2014 uncrowded, well-groomed trails at a reliable snow elevation.<\/p>\n

“Even if there’s a busy day for us, let’s say 20 people are here,\u201d said Stewart.<\/p>\n

At least that many bear watchers often gather at the pullout along the road looking out at Reed Meadow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Audra Conklin rolls up with a friend, fresh off a plane from Florida.<\/p>\n

“I said, \u2018Let me show you,” Conklin explained. “Why don’t we have a little adventure on the way?”<\/p>\n

Conklin runs Lamar Valley Touring out of Gardiner, Montana. As an experienced Yellowstone wildlife spotter who’s built her business around finding animals for clients, she knows exactly what she’s looking for at the B Bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her personal best? Twelve bears in one evening.<\/p>\n

“Wildlife feeds me,” she said matter-of-factly. “I educate people about animals and our connection to them. Ecology, this place. And it’s just a thrill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conklin sets up her scope and conducts a grid search across the meadow while focusing on spots where she’s seen bears emerge before \u2014 particularly near that aspen curtain, checking for movement near the second fence line, scanning all the way to the ridges behind.<\/p>\n

Sometimes bears slip into a low draw and move halfway through the meadow before popping up into view and coming into focus among the bear watchers with their mounted scopes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

St. Peter spots what he describes as a healthy coyote, then decides to pack up his scope and head down the road to check if the grizzlies are frequenting the neighboring Grizzly Creek Ranch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He drives a mile down to scan the stunning property. An elk herd grazes on a low ridge. A striped skunk ambles through. Then he sees a collection of three tiny black dots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I have one of them right here,” he announced.<\/p>\n

Through his scope, he’s suddenly transported across the distance \u2014 watching a sow and two cubs digging and chewing.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a scene repeated throughout October. Every morning, said Stewart, when he awakes in the camper where he\u2019s staying by the Reed Meadow, \u201cThey are eating their breakfast right out there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

“In years past I’ve heard this is home to 40 resident grizzly bears,\u201d noted Stewart. \u201cBut I think that number is much higher. Much higher.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOM MINER BASIN, Mont. \u2014\u00a0Nick St. Peter backs his mud-splattered SUV with Colorado plates into a pullout along…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223263,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[49,48,66,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-223262","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}