Below is a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. It is the latest of a series of grizzly incidents over the last several months (see below).
On the evening of Sept. 30, 2023, a hunter shot and killed a large adult female grizzly bear in self-defense after it charged the man while hunting for elk, northwest of Henrys Lake.
The hunter was moving through heavy timber when the large grizzly came out of the brush a short distance away from him. After yelling to warn his hunting partner of the bear’s presence, the bear charged directly towards him. The hunter was able to draw his sidearm and fire several times, killing the bear only a short distance away, before it was able to make contact. No human injuries have been reported.
The hunter immediately called the Citizens Against Poaching hotline to report the incident. Idaho Department of Fish and Game responded to the call and conducted a thorough investigation. It was determined that the hunter acted in self-defense during a surprise encounter with the bear from a very close distance.
—
The incident is the latest in a series of grizzly attacks.
- In June, a black bear hunter killed a grizzly that charged him in southwest Montana.
- In late August, two men killed a grizzly that attacked them in northwest Montana.
- In early September, two archery hunters shot and killed a grizzly in southeast Idaho.
- In mid-September, a grizzly attacked a bowhunter in southwest Montana as he tracked a deer.
- In late September, a grizzly killed a couple camping in Banff National Park in southwest Alberta, Canada.
- In late September, a hunter killed a grizzly during an encounter north of Yellowstone Park in southwest Montana.
- In early October, an archery hunter killed a grizzly along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front.
- In late October, a hunter killed a grizzly in the Gravelly Range.
(Photo credit: Idaho Department of Fish and Game)