Possible second grizzly spotted near North Fork

Two Post Falls men photographed what they believe is a second grizzly bear roaming the Beaver Creek area of the Coeur d’Alene River drainage, but wildlife officials aren’t convinced.

“I have some property up there where my son set up a few game cameras,” said Rocky Banks, explaining how his 25-year-old autistic son, Christopher, has been doing that as a hobby for several years.

Banks said he captured pictures of the collared bear that migrated from Montana into the Coeur d’Alene River area last month before it was shot by hunters, but he said a couple of days later the camera snapped a photo of what appears to be a much larger grizzly bear roaming his property.

“He has been taking pictures up there for years,” Banks said, referring to his son. “We usually get pictures of one or two black bears a year. This year we are seeing a lot more black bears, but this is the first time we have seen a grizzly on the property. My son was pretty excited about that.”

He said he sent the photos to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and was told that a lot of bears are coming down from the mountains looking for food because there was a shortage of berries this year.

“When you see a picture like the grizzly, “When you see a picture like the grizzly, it sends chills up your spine,” Banks said. “It makes you kind of want to keep looking over your shoulder.”

Phil Cooper, spokesman for IDFG, said Wayne Wakkinen, regional wildlife manager for the IDFG, has looked at the pictures and he believes they are the same bear.

Cooper said the angle on the photo can be deceiving and make the grizzly look larger in photo over the others.

“Wayne said it looks like you can see a little bit of the collar over the right eye,” Cooper said. “There is a very high likelihood that it is the same bear.”

Cooper said Wakkinen trapped grizzly bears for 15 years before taking his position with IDFG.

The bear that migrated into Idaho from Montana in September was part of a grizzly bear relocation program designed to improve the bear populations in the Cabinet Mountains. The bear was trapped and collared in Montana and released near Whitefish, Mont.

Wildlife managers for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lost track of the bear shortly after it was released, but they found the bear’s signal a couple of weeks later, roaming in the Coeur d’Alene River drainage.

Several people reported seeing the bear and some even captured video and photos of the bear as it began making its way east toward Montana. IDFG was attempting to trap the bear and transport it back to Montana, but a hunter shot and killed the bear before it was caught.

That shooting is still under investigation, Cooper said, adding he could not release any information on the shooting until the investigation is complete.

Nevertheless, Banks said he is convinced there is another bear roaming the drainage, and wanted to make sure the public is aware of it just in case he is right.

Banks said he has other photos of lesser quality that appear to show the bear without a collar, and he has two photos of the bear that were taken on Oct. 2, two days after the bear was shot.

Banks said he plans to contact Wakkinen today and provide him with those photos.

“I think people should know they are out there,” Banks said.