CHOTEAU — Montana's growing grizzly bear population is expanding into front range communities like Choteau, prompting renewed calls for federal delisting as residents grapple with safety concerns in their own backyards.

"There are so many bears that they are really comfortable in human habitat, and that's really challenging for people like us to live with," said Karli Johnson, a Choteau rancher.

Jessica Nelson reports - watch: Montana grizzly bear population growth sparks delisting debate as communities face safety concerns

Johnson lives half a mile from Choteau Elementary School and has surrounded her yard with an electric fence after a close encounter with a grizzly bear.

"A young female bear walked through our yard in broad daylight, and we had a 4-year-old...and the only reason h

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