A grizzly bear mother and her cubs were photographed on the west side of Heart Mountain Saturday.

“This grizzly bear with triplet cubs of the year can be seen regularly north of Cody, north of Skull Pass,” said photographer Steve Torrey of Cody. “Wyoming G.F. (Game and Fish Department) is attempting to trap and collar her, but she keeps avoiding the trap. G.F. is not saying whether she will remain local or if they will move her.”

Dan Thompson, Game and Fish statewide supervisor of the large carnivore management section, said the department did make an attempt to capture the family group for a time to learn about their movements and for safety reasons when they were near Wyo. Highway 120. “They did not necessarily evade capture, but, rather did not venture into the area we had a trap set.”

“As for bear safety, we always continually preach awareness of one’s surroundings and using the best weapon in your arsenal to combat any potential conflicts with wildlife — your brain,” Thompson said.

It’s important for people to be physically and mentally prepared to take advantage of Wyoming’s wild lands. People should carry and know how to use bear spray and know how to identify tracks and other wildlife signs. “Report bear activities to the Wyoming Game and Fish and enjoy Wyoming’s outdoors and wildlife,” Thompson said.