Yellowknife (Oct 04/06) - A grizzly bear was sighted near Highway 3 Sunday afternoon, leaving wildlife officials to wonder whether the great bruin is migrating into areas far outside their normal range.

There have been five previous sightings of grizzlies around Yellowknife over the last two years, although only two were positively identified. Grizzly bear sightings before that were non-existent.

The latest grizzly was spotted on a hillside overlooking Mosquito Creek, about 130 kilometres west of Yellowknife on Highway 3.

Senior wildlife officer Raymond Bourget said the bear was spotted by "a credible source," who then relayed the sighting back to the department. The man estimated the bear to be about 600 to 700 pounds, which is quite large even for a grizzly.

"It was standing by the road, and as they drove by they got within about 150 metres and then it ran into the bush," said Bourget. "They first thought it might be a bison because they saw the big shoulder hump, but then as they got closer they realized it was a bear."

Bourget said there are no plans to try and track the bear.

Grizzlies are thought to rarely venture below the treeline, preferring the open Barrenlands for habitat.

Over the last couple years, however, two adult male bears walked right into outskirts of Yellowknife. Both of these bears were roaming well past the time they usually den for the winter, and they were in poor health. The animals were subsequently shot by wildlife officers.

A grizzly sighting was reported last summer near the Yellowknife River bridge. Another pair of sightings came from Watta Lake and Hearne Lake - about 80 kilometres east of Yellowknife - last spring.

"At this point, it seems like some bears have moved down to this part of the country," said Bourget.

He said, like with black bears, grizzlies tend to move out of the way if they sense humans, but are also more aggressive when defending their food or feel threatened.

"The biggest concern is with bison being (hit by vehicles) on the highway, they could become a food source for grizzly bears," said Bourget. "If someone is aware of a dead bison off in the bush, don't go in to investigate. Report it to us instead."