Hunter cited for illegal killing of grizzly in North Idaho
Speaking to a meeting of grizzly bear managers Thursday, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Panhandle Regional Supervisor Carson Watkins said the hunter killed the bear in the Lucky Creek drainage north of Priest Lake in Bonner County.
The hunter mistook the grizzly for a black bear and immediately reported himself to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Grizzly bears are protected under the Endangered Species Act and under Idaho state law.
Watkins said wardens investigated the incident and cited the hunter for killing an animal in a closed season, which comes with a maximum penalty of a fine of $10,000, up to 6 months in jail and a potential loss of hunting privileges.
TJ Ross, a Fish and Game spokesman, said that because the hunter was forthcoming and self-reported the killing, agency officials will work with Bonner County prosecutors to try to ensure the penalty reflects that.
Fish and Game officials declined to release the hunter's name. A call to the Bonner County Prosecutor's Office on Thursday afternoon was not returned before deadline.
It was the second time in the past three years that a spring black bear hunter had mistakenly shot a grizzly in the Priest Lake area. This instance also came in the first season since Idaho began requiring black bear hunters to pass a bear identification test.
Watkins said the hunter had passed the test "days before he went bear hunting."
The 5-year-old female bear had an ear tag and had just shed a radio collar that had been put on last August, according to Wayne Kasworm, the Libby-based grizzly bear biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Kasworm's crews first collared the bear in 2022 and reattached it this past summer. At that time, it weighed about 200 pounds.
When the bear emerged from its den this spring, however, it left the collar behind. Kasworm said bears sometimes lose collars that fit poorly or grow out of them.
He said it hadn't produced cubs. Grizzlies don't typically reproduce until they're six or seven years old.
The bear spent most of its time in the portion of the Selkirk Range north of Priest Lake.
Based on DNA sampling and images gathered on trail cameras, Kasworm's monitoring team has found there are at least 57 individual grizzlies in the U.S. portion of the Selkirks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
Pennsylvania steel plant explosions caught on video leave at least 1 dead
At least one person is dead as another person remains missing with at least 10 injured following a series of explosions at a steel plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, on Monday, Aug. 11, officials said. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works plant was the site of "multiple explosions," and that search-and-rescue efforts continued at the scene as of a statement posted to social media just after 2:15 p.m. ET. The Allegany County Police Department confirmed that one person died in a statement posted to Facebook just before 4:30 p.m. ET. The department stated that one person previously believed to be missing had been located and transported to a local hospital. The second person believed to be missing remains unaccounted for, the statement added. Nine other people were transported to area hospitals to receive treatment for a variety of injuries, according to the department. Video of the explosions, which took place around 10:30 a.m. ET, was captured by the BreatheProject, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that advocates for improvements to air quality in southwestern Pennsylvania. The video shows a plume of dark smoke rising from the plant that continued to spew for over 25 minutes. Live updates: Steel plant explosion leaves at least 1 dead, 10 injured Residents near plant advised to stay indoors The Allegheny County Department of Health issued a statement saying it was "actively monitoring the explosion" in coordination with first responders. Residents within one mile of the plant were being advised "out of an abundance of caution" to remain indoors, close windows and doors and set their home cooling units to recirculation. Air quality monitors had not detected levels of toxins above federal standards, the department said. "If you're in the area, continue to follow the instructions of local authorities," Shapiro said in his statement. U.S. Steel Executive Vice President Scott Buckiso told reporters at an afternoon news conference that the plant is stable except for the two coke oven batteries that were shut down after the 10:50 a.m. explosion. An investigation into the cause has begun as part of the search for the missing worker. "It's an ongoing rescue effort for the one person that is still not accounted for,'' Buckiso said. "We think we know the general location of that employee, but we're not 100% sure.'' This is a developing story Contributing: Melina Khan & Phaedra Trethan – USA TODAY
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Walmart to pay $5.6 million as part of settlement for overcharging customers
Walmart will pay $5.6 million as part of a settlement in a consumer protection lawsuit that alleged the retailer overcharged its customers. The Arkansas-based company is accused of overcharging customers and selling products, such as produce, baked goods and other prepared items with less weight than shown on the label, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office in California. The civil complaint, filed by four California counties, also alleged that the retailer unlawfully charged customers prices higher than their lowest advertised or posted price. The Santa Clara's District Attorney's office said Walmart's actions violate California's False Advertising and Unfair Competition Laws. "When someone brings an item to the register to be scanned, the price must be right," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "They expect it. California expects it. My office expects it – and we will apply the law to make sure of it." Walmart previously accused of overcharging consumers In 2012, Walmart agreed to pay $2.1 million for overcharging consumers in violation of a 2008 court judgment, according to a statement released by the California Department of Justice. "Consumers who were overcharged at the cash register should have immediately received $3 off the lowest advertised price of the item. If the price was less than $3, the item was to be given to the consumer for free," based on a statement released by the then state's Attorney General and former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2012.
American Press
4 hours ago
- American Press
UPDATE: Explosions at US Steel plant leave 1 dead and dozens hurt or trapped under rubble
Explosions at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh left one dead and dozens injured or trapped under the rubble Monday, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue victims, officials said. The explosions sent black smoke spiralling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. An Allegheny County emergency services spokesperson, Kasey Reigner, said one person died and two were currently believed to be unaccounted for. Multiple other people were treated for injuries, Reigner said. Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. The explosions sent a shock through the community and led to officials asking residents to stay away from the scene so emergency workers could respond. 'It felt like thunder,' Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. 'Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it's like something bad happened.' Dozens were injured and the county was sending 15 ambulances, on top of the ambulances supplied by local emergency response agencies, Reigner said. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said via X that 'multiple explosions' occurred at the facility. Clairton residents like Amy Sowers, 49, felt an explosion nearby. Sowers, who was sitting on her porch located less than a mile from the plant, felt her house shake. 'I could see smoke from my driveway,' she said. 'We heard ambulances and fire trucks from every direction.' Sowers decided to leave the area after she said she smelled a faint smell in the air. Sowers, who grew up in Clairton, has seen several incidents at the plant over the years. Despite health concerns, Sowers said many residents cannot afford to leave. A maintenance worker was killed in an explosion at the plant in September 2009. In July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors. 'Lives were lost again,' Sowers said. 'How many more lives are going to have to be lost until something happens?' Air quality concerns and health warnings The plant, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania that employ several thousand workers. In a statement, U.S. Steel said an 'incident' occurred at the plant's coke oven batteries 13 and 14. The company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., said emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, but it gave no other details about the cause of the explosions, casualties or damage. The company's CEO, David Burritt, said in the statement that U.S. Steel is working with authorities to investigate the cause. The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what's known as coke gas — made up of a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said his heart goes out to the victims of Monday's explosions. 'The mill is such a big part of Clairton,' he said. 'It's just a sad day for Clairton.' The Allegheny County Health Department said it is monitoring the explosions and advised residents within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the plant to remain indoors, close all windows and doors, set air conditioning systems to recirculate, and avoid drawing in outside air, such as using exhaust fans. It said its monitors have not detected levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards. According to the company, the plant produces 4.3 million tons (3.9 million metric tons) of coke annually and has approximately 1,400 workers.
