Hunter cited for killing grizzly bear

A Kootenai County resident who reportedly shot and killed a grizzly bear at Priest Lake has been cited for take of a grizzly bear in closed season, which carries a maximum of a $10,000 fine, one to three year license revocation and up to six months in jail. 

TJ Ross, Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman, said the hunter self-reported and has remained cooperative with the investigation. 

"We will work closely with the prosecutor’s office to request that the penalties reflect the hunter’s honesty and cooperation," he wrote in an email to The Press.

The young female bear was killed the evening of May 9 in the Priest Lake drainage of Idaho's Panhandle.

The hunter told Fish and Game he thought he was looking at a black bear when he fired from a distance of less than 100 yards.

Nearly two years ago, in June 2023, another hunter shot and killed a grizzly north of Upper Priest Lake. The hunter also said he thought it was a black bear when he fired from a distance of about 170 yards on a morning with good visibility.

There are fewer than 100 bears in North Idaho’s Panhandle.