Latest news with #MFWP
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mushroom Hunters Shoot and Kill a Grizzly That Charged Them in Montana
Two men who were picking mushrooms a mile north of Choteau, Montana, were charged by a grizzly bear on Wednesday. Both men shot and killed the bear at close range, according to a press release from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. The agency reports that the sow grizzly had one cub, which they are still trying to locate. The two men, identified only by their first names, were rattled but uninjured after their run-in with the bear. 'I spoke to John and Justin shortly after the incident and they were both still shook up,' MFWP director Christy Clark, said in the statement. 'They told me their story and it was clear it was very traumatic. What's important here is they're ok.' Choteau lies within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which hosts a recovered population of grizzly bears that's similar in size to the recovered population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Together the two zones contain most of the estimated 2,200 federally-protected grizzlies in the Northern Rockies region. MFWP reported in April that another grizzly was shot and killed by an unidentified shed hunter near Dupuyer, Montana. Dupuyer lies roughly 30 miles north of Choteau, and the shed hunter incident involved similar circumstances. The 13-year-old sow had a yearling with her, which the agency said it would not capture as it should be able to survive on its own. Because grizzlies remain federally protected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened an investigation into the shooting. Roughly a week after the Dupuyer incident, on April 21, two anglers were charged by a grizzly bear while fishing Red Rock Creek closer to West Yellowstone. One of the anglers shot at the bear in self-defense, according to MFWP, but no bear carcasses were found nearby and officials were unsure if the bear was injured. Read Next: Proposal to Keep Grizzlies on the Endangered Species List Is 'Ludicrous,' Say Western Lawmakers Another grizzly bear was shot earlier in May near Priest Lake in northern Idaho. Idaho Fish and Game said it was a case of mistaken identity. The bear hunter self-reported the error after killing the grizzly, which they had mistaken for a blackbear. The hunter has continued to cooperate with the investigation, according to officials, and could face jail time (potentially up to six months), along with fines and a possible license revocation for killing a federally-protected species. 'We will work closely with the prosecutor's office to request that the penalties reflect the hunter's honesty and cooperation,' IDFG spokesperson TJ Ross told the Coeur d'Alene Press earlier this month.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
A Shed Hunter Shot and Killed a Charging Grizzly Bear in Montana
A Montana man was charged by a grizzly bear Friday while looking for shed antlers near Dupuyer. The man shot and killed the bear mid-charge, and he walked away from the incident uninjured, according to a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. This marks the first fatal encounter with a bear in North America's grizzly country in 2025. The first run-in to take place in 2024 occurred in Montana as well, and it also involved a shed hunter who killed the bear in self-defense. The man's identity has not been released, and a spokesperson with MFWP tells OL the agency is unable to comment on the incident, which is now being investigated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because grizzly bears remain federally protected in Montana, as in other states, any killing of a grizzly requires a federal investigation regardless of the circumstances. In the press release, MFWP explains that the man was looking for shed antlers on a brushy hillside when he first saw the bear. He tried to leave the area, prompting the bear to 'charge him at close range.' The bear was 'an adult female grizzly in good condition with no history of conflict,' according to MFWP. A single yearling cub was found unharmed at the site, and the agency says it doesn't plan to intervene, which means they think the young bear will survive on its own. Read Next: Montana's New Grizzly Bear Plan Says It's Ready to Take Back Management from the Feds It's unclear what kind of firearm the man used to shoot and kill the bear. It's also unclear if the man was on public or private land at the time he was charged. Dupuyer lies just east of the Rocky Mountains in the north-central part of Montana, and it falls within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which is one of six grizzly bear recovery zones in the Lower 48 designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The NCDE covers roughly 9,600 square miles and is home to more than 1,000 grizzlies, according to the latest estimates by the U.S. Geological Survey.
