oops...grizz killed in the selway bitterroot by hunter

[jackelope]

oops...
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Grizzly shot in Selway-Bitterroot
By PERRY BACKUS of the Missoulian

   

For the first time in decades, people venturing into the sprawling Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem are going to be told to keep their eyes peeled for grizzly bears.

That change follows the killing of a large grizzly bear in a roadless area of north-central Idaho, where the last confirmed sighting of the species came in 1946.

The grizzly was shot Sept. 3 by a Tennessee hunter near Kelly Creek, about three miles from the Montana border.

 
The hunter was on a guided trip hunting black bear over bait, which is legal in Idaho. The guide wasn't present when the grizzly was shot.

The bear was a young 400- to 500-pound male that was between 6 and 9 years old, said Chris Servheen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's grizzly bear recovery coordinator.

“It was dark-colored with golden silver tips,” Servheen said. “It was very visibly a grizzly bear. The hunter was very regretful. It was shot in a place where he wasn't expecting to encounter a grizzly.

“There's been no documentation of a grizzly bear there for more than 60 years,” he said.

It's hard to tell where the bear came from or how long it had been there.

“The area is excellent grizzly bear habitat,” Servheen said. “The bear could have been there for a long period of time without anyone knowing it was there.”

Kelly Creek is in a 250,000-acre roadless area known as the Great Burn.

Wildlife officials have long thought grizzly bears would eventually repopulate the area on their own.

The bear's DNA will be tested in an attempt to determine if it originated from either the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem or the Northern Continental Divide ecosystem, which includes Glacier National Park.

Servheen said it's likely there could be other grizzly bears in the area.

“If one bear was able to make its way there, I think it's very likely that others could, too,” he said.

That fact could change the way people use portions of the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem.

“The whole mind-set starts changing now that people may see a grizzly in the area,” he said.

Both federal and state wildlife managers are already making plans to let people know they might encounter a grizzly bear, and to emphasize that the bears remain protected under the Endangered Species Act in this area.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lifted Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park this spring. But the dead bear wasn't part of that population.

Officials say the shooting remains under investigation.

In the meantime, Servheen said signs telling bear hunters to take a good hard look at their target before pulling the trigger will be going up at area trailheads.

“Now that we have documentation, we're making great efforts to ensure that people know that grizzly bears could be in the area, especially hunters,” Servheen said. “We will be widely distributing signs to make people aware that grizzly bears are here.”

Officials may look at other ways to protect grizzlies in the Selway-Bitterroot.

“I've already put together a two-page list of issues that need to be discussed,” Servheen said. “We're meeting today to talk about some of those.”

The Friends of the Clearwater, a conservation group based in Moscow, Idaho, said the grizzly bear death was no surprise. In a letter to Servheen, the group said there have been reports of grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Mountains dating back into the late 1990s.

With confirmation in hand of grizzlies in the area, the group called on federal and state wildlife managers to take “swift action” to prevent further grizzly deaths from mistaken identity.

Its suggestions included requiring black bear hunters and outfitters using the area to receive training in bear identification. The group wants wildlife officials to inspect every bear killed in the area.

The group also wants the Fish and Wildlife Service to review Idaho's black bear hunting regulations that allow for baiting and hounding of bears, spring and fall hunting, and a liberal “take” in the Clearwater Basin.

“The huge number of black bear permits, the long seasons, and the fact that baiting and hounding are allowed in hunting black bears makes it even more likely tragedies like this will happen in the future,” said Will Boyd, Friends of the Clearwater's education director. “The Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Department of Fish and Game must change black bear hunting policies to make them friendly to grizzly recovery.”

[robb92]

The "hunter" should know the difference between a black bear and a grizzly before going on a hunt, most hunters can tell the difference. I also wonder why wasn't the guide there with him? In the WDFW game regs it has examples of black bear and grizzly.

[Curly]

and the fact that baiting and hounding are allowed in hunting black bears makes it even more likely tragedies like this will happen in the future,” said Will Boyd,

I disagree with the above statement.  How is it that baiting and hounding would make it more likely to happen?  I think it would make it less likely to happen.  You would have plenty of time to decide what species of bear it is if you were hound hunting or baiting.  The guy has his head up his 

[jackelope]

i gotta agree with curly on that one.

[sisu]

Knee jerk reactions will probably rule in this case instead of common sense. The situation is unfortunate and can be prevented in the future with good hunter education prior to entering the forest. If there is a guide association in Idaho they should require their membership to educate clients to prevent further problems. Hunting over bait to me would not cause a problem as you get to view the critter easily same goes with dogs. A Griz will probably not run far from a dog but will instead lead the dogs into a situation where they could defend themselves easily and eliminate as many of the trackers as possible. I've not hunted with dogs but seems to me from my encounters in Alaska a Griz does not suffer fools long.

[high country]

remember this guy was hunting in an area that is not supposed to have any big bears. you would not expect to see a griz in the blue mtns.....but, ya never know. we see them once or twice a year in my area and the ones we do see are not very big really. color is very typical of a griz, but I have seen many blacks go through a grizzled phase too. the humps are also not alway pronounced, can be a tough one to ID on a smaller bear. the claws and dished face are the keys to the ID of the big bears.

[GoldTip]

Whether there were "supposed" to be grizzlies in that area or not, makes no difference.  The hunter and outfitter should be charged with killing the grizzly, it's that simple,  especially with the obvious markings it sounds as if it has.  I was born and raised in Grizzly country along side Glacier Park, and it is amazing the number of Grizzlies there are in many of the area's that "do not have grizzlies".   This guy was a moron if he couldn't tell the difference at a bait site, and his outfitter was a bigger moron for not knowing there were grizzlies around.  If this outfitter had been in that area for more than one or two years, he should have known there was a possibility there were grizzlies in the area and he should have discussed this with his hunter.

[jackelope]

sounds like they need to have a bear  ID test in idaho.
http://fwp.mt.gov/bearid/default.html

[LongTatLaw]

this is a pretty annoying situation.

I would always make the argument that hunting bears over bait cuts down mistakes like this but then some *censored* comes up and shoots a grizzly over bait. Thats stupid. Im from North Carolina which borders Tennessee. North Carolina has tons of black bears...almost as many as TENNESSEE...  That guy should have known better!!!

I have already came millimeters from leaving a cub motherless this year because chance encounters dont allow much time to assess the situation. I was at full draw when I saw the little guy come trailing in... it was VErY close to a bad day!

I believe if you cant tell the difference between the two bears... you should take up golf because hunting aint your sport! If you cant tell the difference in bears while watching a bait pile...

ya damn sure cant tell:
                           1. If the bull has 2 points above the ear..while he crosses 8 ft reprod at 200 yards
                           2. That the black bear sow has 2 cubs 5 feet behind her in the bushes
                           3. That the big buck in the brush has on an orange vest and carries an '06
ect ect ect!
This is a stupid mistake and it makes real hunters look like bullet slingers that blast anything that moves.
 

[boneaddict]

Pretty much ditto what has been said.

[Palmer]

FYI  There is a good number of Grizzly 70 miles North of Kelly Creek, around Rapid Lightning Creek North of Lake Pend Oreille.  The Rapid Lightning Creek area has grizzlies and Moose.

[mitown]

i gotta agree with curly on that one.

me to, its not that hard to tell the difference

[Intruder]

There tends to be a variety of issues and opinions on this topic.  In general I feel a little more foregiving to the hunter.  Should he have known the difference: yes.  However, the state and the guide bare a lot of responsibility in this situation.  When you go in the N. Idaho and NE WA there are signs everywhere regarding grizzly.  I don't believe I've seen anything like that in that area or in the regs.  Ultimately the hunter is responsible but still.... they guy comes clear across the country, probably has no knowledge (provided by the state or the guide) that there could be grizzlies, and a "bear" comes into his bait station.  Who knows what the light situation was or the look of the bear, the angle he see it, etc.... if he had no reason to even think there were grizzlies I find it hard to be too judgemental with the guy. 

As far as hound and bait hunting.... I agree with the opinions on here.  It should be easier to identify in those cases.