Hunter kills a charging grizzly in East Idaho, marking the third incident since June

An elk hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear in East Idaho on Saturday after it charged at him, according to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It was the third such incident in the area since June.

Fish and Game officials said the man was hunting near Kilgore, an unincorporated area in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest west of Island Park, during the evening on Oct. 26. The man was in thick timber when the female grizzly charged through dense brush from just a few yards away, according to the news release. 

The man shot the bear with his hunting rifle, Fish and Game said. The bear was “a short distance” from him but did not make contact. 

It’s unclear whether the man was carrying or used bear spray, a strong mace recommended for people spending time in grizzly habitat. 

The news release said the hunter called authorities as soon as he got back to where there was cellphone service. U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Game officials determined that the man acted in self-defense after he was surprised by the bear in close quarters.

Grizzly bears in the contiguous 48 states are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and killing or injuring them is illegal unless necessary for self-defense. 

It’s the third time this year that a grizzly has been killed in the Island Park area in what was determined to be self-defense. In September, two archery hunters shot and killed a male grizzly after it knocked one of them to the ground and bit him. In June, a man shot and killed a young male bear that charged at his girlfriend near their home. 

Two other grizzlies were killed in similar incidents in the same area last fall. 

The Island Park area is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of a handful of grizzly population areas delineated as part of the species recovery plan. It’s home to Idaho’s largest concentration of grizzly bears, though the species is also present in North Idaho and has been documented occasionally in and around the Bitterroot zone in Central Idaho in recent years. 

Fish and Game Upper Snake Region spokesperson James Brower told the Idaho Statesman last month that there has not been a fatal grizzly attack in Idaho in recent memory, but there have been several grizzly-related injuries and conflicts.