Grizzly shot, killed near Priest Lake

Idaho Fish and Game officials are urging hunters to identify their target before pulling the trigger after a hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear north of Upper Priest Lake.

“This is why we reiterate the importance of being able to distinguish between a black bear and a grizzly,” said TJ Ross, Fish and Game spokesman for the Panhandle Region. “It can be very, very challenging.”

Ross said the nonresident hunter had good visibility when he shot a male grizzly bear he mistook for a black bear about 7 a.m. Thursday from a distance of about 170 yards.

After realizing he had killed a grizzly bear, the hunter reported the incident and was cooperating with officials, Ross said. The hunter was cited.

The incident serves as an important reminder that grizzly bears can be found in game management units in the Panhandle, in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and grizzlies are known to occasionally visit portions of the Clearwater Region.

Grizzlies are protected under state and federal law, and bear hunters are responsible for proper identification of their target, Fish and Game said.

They start emerging from hibernation in late March and early April.

The U.S. Forest Service reported that about 35 to 40 grizzly bears reside in the Selkirk Mountains with another 30 to 40 occupying the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem of Idaho and Montana.

Ross said hunters need to take their time to identify their target before pulling the trigger.

Size and color of the animal are not reliable indicators of species, Fish and Game said. It’s best to look at multiple features in order to make the right call. Grizzlies typically have short, rounded ears, a dished facial profile, a prominent shoulder hump and 2- to 4-inch-long claws.

Ross said the shooting at Priest Lake was a “legitimate mistake” but even more unfortunate that it happened with an endangered species.

“It’s disappointing when this happens, for the loss of the animal and the hunters involved,” he said.