.BONNERS FERRY, Idaho - A grizzly bear killed a hunter in a remote area along the Idaho-Montana border, and then was fatally shot by the hunter's partner, authorities said Friday.

The attack occurred about 10 a.m. Friday in the mountainous, heavily forested region near the Canadian border.

The identity of the hunter who was killed is being withheld until his family is notified.

It is illegal to kill a grizzly bear, which is listed as threatened in the Lower 48 states. It was not immediately known if the hunter who shot the bear will be charged with a crime.

The fatal attack comes as Idaho's congressional delegation has proposed amending the Endangered Species Act to clarify that it is legal to shoot a grizzly bear in self-defense or in defense of another person.

The legislation was in response to the case of a northern Idaho man who shot and killed a grizzly cub in May after it and two others wandered onto his property.

Jeremy Hill, 33, was charged with a federal crime of killing a federally protected species, but the case was dropped last week and he paid a $1,000 fine for a noncriminal infraction.

Hunters report killing grizzly in Gravelly Range

.BOZEMAN - Wildlife officials are investigating after a grizzly bear was shot and killed with a pistol during an encounter with bow hunters in the Gravelly Mountains near Bozeman.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Ron Aasheim says the two men who were hunting told investigators the sow charged them Tuesday morning. The bear had two large cubs that were likely 2 years old.

Aasheim tells the Bozeman Daily Chronicle an investigation is ongoing, and "we need more information before we exonerate or condemn anybody."

Montana law allows a person to kill a bear to defend him or herself, another person or a domestic dog.

Aasheim says he doesn't know if the hunters were carrying bear spray.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the guy who killed the bear will not be charged. Sheesh?!

Very sad story.

As of the evening news the two survivors were reached by rescuers on foot late this afternoon, and they were going to try fly them out.
The three of them started out in Idaho to access the remote western part of Montana. Lots of Griz in the area. It's a shame they couldn't have shot it before their friend was killed.
I'm all for having the big bears around but they fear nothing. Nate

kudu56 - This is getting a bit confusing. The first article says the incident occurred on the Idaho-Montana border near the Canadian border. It also says the grizz killed a hunter.

The second article says the incident occurred in the mountains near Bozeman, Montana, and mentions no killing of any hunter...only death reported was one sow grizzly.

Bozeman is no where near the Idaho-Montana-Canadian border and the 2 different reported locations above are actually several hundred miles apart. This appears to be 2 completely different events at very seperate locations doesn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by stevie:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say the guy who killed the bear will not be charged. Sheesh?!

Given the world we live in today and all the tree huggers, I am not so confident.

quote:

kudu56 - This is getting a bit confusing. The first article says the incident occurred on the Idaho-Montana border near the Canadian border. It also says the grizz killed a hunter.

The second article says the incident occurred in the mountains near Bozeman, Montana, and mentions no killing of any hunter...only death reported was one sow grizzly.

Bozeman is no where near the Idaho-Montana-Canadian border and the 2 different reported locations above are actually several hundred miles apart. This appears to be 2 completely different events at very seperate locations doesn't it?

Cpt. Jack

Cpt. Jack,

Two different attacks, two different areas.

Sorry for the confusion, but both stories were in the paper the same day.

More details! Looks like some one phuged up!


BONNERS FERRY, Idaho — A grizzly bear wounded by a hunter later attacked and killed the hunter's partner Friday after the two men tracked the animal in a remote area along the Idaho-Montana boarder, authorities said.

Steve Stevenson, 39, and Ty Bell, 21, members of a hunting party from Winnemucca, Nev., were going after black bears when the attacked occurred about 10 a.m. PDT in a mountainous, heavily forested region in Lincoln County, Mont., near the Canadian border.

Bell shot and wounded a young male grizzly, believing it to be a black bear, undersheriff Brent Faulkner said.

"They tracked the bear into an area of heavy cover where Mr. Stevenson was attacked by the wounded grizzly bear," Faulkner said in a news release late Friday.

"Mr. Bell was able to shoot the bear multiple times, eventually killing it," he said.

Bell used his cell phone to call for help but Stevenson died from his injuries, Faulkner said.

The area is extremely remote, with no roads and poor communications, said Ron Aasheim of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Authorities reached the scene in helicopters.

"This is big-time back country," he said. "There are no roads even close to this thing."

Authorities said the two were part of a four-person hunting party going after black bears in the area when the attack occurred. Faulkner said the party had split up earlier into two-member teams.

The incident is under investigation. It is illegal to kill a grizzly bear, which is listed as threatened in the Lower 48 states. There was no immediate word if Bell would face any charges.

This is at least the third man killed by a grizzly since July. In late August, a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, some 400 miles south of here, mauled a Michigan hiker to death. In July, a female bear with cubs in Yellowstone attacked a couple from California, killing the man before fleeing.

This attack comes as Idaho's congressional delegation has proposed amending the Endangered Species Act to clarify that it is legal to shoot a grizzly bear in self-defense or in defense of another person.

The legislation was in response to the case of a northern Idaho man who shot and killed a grizzly cub in May after it and two other cubs wandered onto his property.

Jeremy Hill, 33, was charged with a federal crime of killing a federally protected species, but the case was dropped last week and he paid a $1,000 fine for a noncriminal infraction.

Who cares if it is legal to kill a G-Bear in self defense or not...it won't stop me from pulling the trigger if I need to thats for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodrow S:
Who cares if it is legal to kill a G-Bear in self defense or not...it won't stop me from pulling the trigger if I need to thats for sure.

Hmmm...

A guy was walking down the street the other day minding his own business. Another guy, thinking the innocent pedestrian was someone else, pulled out a pistol and for no reason shot the first guy in the leg.

Naturally, the wounded guy was pissed, so he went after the shooter who then proceeded to empty the gun into the "attacker," who died on the spot.

No doubt the shooter probably claimed it was self-defense because he was attacked.

Good analogy.
Also, "I thought it was a black bear"......

quote:

Good analogy.
Also, "I thought it was a black bear"......

I agree about the analogy, but I think his "excuse" is better than the "I thought it was a deer".

To go that far into the wilderness to hunt black bear doesn't make much sense. It seems likely they were looking/intending to kill a grizzly, IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by Muzzled:
To go that far into the wilderness to hunt black bear doesn't make much sense. It seems likely they were looking/intending to kill a grizzly, IMO.

I bet they went there because that's where black bears also live. Sure beats hunting in a Walmart parking lot.

If they were indeed after a grizz, I doubt they would have shot what is basically a big cub, eh? I mean...if you're gonna risk being branded a poacher, the heavy fine and other penalties, why do it half-ass? Go big!

BILLINGS, Mont. - A hunter attacked by a wounded grizzly in a Montana forest was killed not by the bear, but by a gunshot fired by a companion trying to save him, authorities said Friday.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe said an autopsy determined 39-year-old Steve Stevenson of Winnemucca, Nev., died of a single gunshot to the chest. The cause of death was determined by a medical examiner with the Montana State Crime Lab.

The shot was fired by 20-year-old Ty Bell, also of Winnemucca, as he attempted to stop the bear's attack. No charges are expected, Bowe said.

The autopsy found bite marks on Stevenson's leg caused by the bear.

"We're fairly convinced it was obviously an accident," Bowe said. "But the county attorney will review the final report once we're done."

Bell and Stevenson were on a black-bear hunting trip with two other people in a thickly forested region along the Montana-Idaho border when the attack occurred Sept. 16.

The foursome had split into two-member teams, and early in the day Bell shot and wounded what he thought was a black bear, which are considered less aggressive than grizzly bears.

Bell and Stevenson waited about 15 minutes until they thought the bear had died, then tracked the 400-pound grizzly into thick cover, according to Stevenson's mother, Janet Price.

When the bear turned on the men, Stevenson yelled at the animal to distract it and keep it from attacking Bell, Price told the Associated Press last week. When the animal instead went after Stevenson, Bell fired multiple shots trying to kill the animal, Bowe said.

It was unclear how many times the bear was hit, or whether the bullet that killed Stevenson had first hit the bear. Bowe said that possibility was under investigation.

The bear also died.

Grizzlies were largely exterminated across the lower 48 last century, but their population has rebounded dramatically in recent decades.

The grizzly shot by Bell was one of about 45 of the animals that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates live in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem Area in northwest Montana and northern Idaho.

Ron Aasheim with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the case underscored the potential danger hunters face when pursuing wounded animals.

"Anytime you follow a wounded animal, but particularly a predator like a bear, you have to be very careful," he said.

All because they could be bothered with learning Griz from Black bear or didnt bother to make sure.

A lesson for us all. If you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning?

Prime example of why people should practice shooting more often under field conditions.

Sad story .
I seems to me that it would be better to close with the bear and shoot point blank to minimize that problem ??

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho elk hunter who apparently stumbled across a bear's resting spot Saturday was hospitalized after the animal bit him and broke his right arm, officials said.

Richard Paini, 40, suffered puncture wounds and an injured left hand along with the broken forearm in the attack at about 9 a.m. He was taken to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

A hospital spokesman said Paini, of Island Park, was listed in serious condition Saturday afternoon. She declined to release details about the extent of his injuries.

The bear involved in the attack fled after Paini's archery hunting partner, John Stiehl of Island Park, used bear spray to scare off the bear. Stiehl told authorities he believed it was a grizzly bear.

The Wildlife Human Attack Response Team was activated to investigate the attack, said Gregg Losinski, a spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game and a member of the team.

"It was described to be a large bear," Losinski said.

He said the attack, first reported by KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, occurred about a half mile east of Last Chance in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. He said hair samples collected at the site have been sent to a lab that will identify whether it was a black bear or grizzly bear.

The bear's reaction, Losinski said, was typical of grizzly bears, which tend to be more aggressive than black bears, though a surprised black bear could also be dangerous.

"It does appear that it was a surprise encounter," Losinski said. "The elk hunters were out there and came within 80 feet of the day bed of the bear. The bear reacted by charging and biting one hunter on the arm and hand, and then ran away. The actions of the bear were typical actions of a bear that was startled or surprised. It didn't attempt to pursue them. It just ran away."

Losinski said the hunters did nothing wrong.

"The problem is when you're hunting, you do a lot of things that don't prevent problems with bears," he said. "All the things that could alert a bear to your presence you purposely don't do when hunting."

He said the bear was likely in the area feeding on a dead domestic cow. It's unclear how the cow died, he said.

He said officials haven't decided whether to try to capture the bear, and doing so could be difficult considering the number of black bears and grizzlies in the area.

Meanwhile, wildlife officials were trying to capture a different grizzly bear some distance from where the attack occurred. Losinski said that bear has become habituated to food left out by humans, sometimes unintentionally and sometimes on purpose to attract bears for viewing.

The bear officials hope to trap has so far avoided capture for more than a week, staying clear of culvert traps and even snares, Losinski said.

"The bear is very wary of human things that are not food," he said. "We know his general location, his general habits, but he's very wary of everything we've done. That bear has not posed a threat, but anytime you have a bear that becomes habituated you can have a problem."

Officials plan to kill the bear if it's captured, Losinski said.

Saturday's attack follows a string of deadly encounters with grizzlies this summer.

In late August, a grizzly in Yellowstone National Park mauled a Michigan hiker to death. In July, a female bear with cubs in Yellowstone attacked a couple from California, killing the man before fleeing.

On Sept. 16, a black bear hunter mistakenly shot a 400-pound grizzly bear in northwestern Montana. When he and his partner tracked it, the grizzly attacked one of the hunters. The other hunter kept firing, and authorities Friday said one of the bullets killed the hunter who was being attacked by the wounded grizzly.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
Good analogy.
Also, "I thought it was a black bear"......

Obviously, this isn't working.

http://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter/bearID/

I gather now, the hunter was actually killed by his buddy, after they wounded the Grizz, thinking it was a Black. I foresee serious jail time, for this guy.

Grizz

Reading of all the details it's obvious that both "hunters" made numerous mistakes and there was no excuse for their stupidity .. One had only three rounds and firing those he ran back to the camp for more ! Another case of Darwinism .Amateurs should stay out of the woods especially in bear country !

Latest news article.


DNA: Bullet went through grizzly, killed hunter

LIBBY - Officials in northwestern Montana say a shot fired at a grizzly bear as it attacked a Nevada hunter passed through the bear before striking and killing the hunter.

Tests requested by the Department of the Interior found grizzly bear DNA on the .30.06 bullet that killed 39-year-old Steve Stevenson of Winnemucca, Nev., on Sept. 16.

Stevenson and 20-year-old Ty Bell were hunting near the Montana-Idaho border when Bell shot what he thought was a black bear.

The men tracked the bear into heavy cover, where the 400-pound animal attacked Stevenson. Bell fired several shots trying to kill the bear.

Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe called the shooting a "horribly tragic accident." He says he doesn't expect charges will be filed, but that decision is up to the county attorney.

Tragic what ever happenedm

Wish his family well and a quiet Christmas

Also for his friend who fired the shot

I can sense how terrible he must feel now and 20 years old only

You can't fix stupid.

I love how there is 30 different stories for the same incident.

who knows what really happened