Welcome! It's so hard to get folks new to Montana to understand when you tell them, this is as real as it gets. Not long after I moved here from Florida, I went hiking and camping near Rat Lake with my dog; it was surreal. First, we found moose tracks, widely spaced like it was running. Next to the moose tracks were fresh wolf tracks. They dropped off the edge of the trail and I lost the tracks. It was a big wolf (those boots are 10.5's).

Later, when we got to the campground about 1/4 mile from Rat Lake, this sign was posted. That was it for me. We slept in the truck.

The following week, an article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle mentioned that a moose carcass was found near Rat Lake, being guarded by a grizzly.

That was over 8 years ago. Now, we don't even think about it. We hike and camp all over the mountain ranges, but now we have experience, and know what to do/not to do.