Spokane7
65°
August 29, 2011 in City, Idaho
Prosecutor releases details of N. Idaho grizzly killing
A grizzly shot by a Boundary County man had approached within 40 yards of his children, who were outside playing basketball, and when wounded, charged at the man, according to a statement by the Boundary County prosecutor’s office.
The statement provides more details about the May 8 shooting. Jeremy M. Hill, 33, of Porthill, Idaho, pleaded not guilty last week to a federal charge of illegally killing a threatened species. A jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 4.
The case has attracted regional attention, with local and state officials saying that Hill acted responsibly to protect his family. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking him to look into the matter.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which investigated the shooting, has not released its report. But Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas issued a statement over the weekend, giving this account of the shooting:
Hill, his wife Rachel, and four of the couple’s six children were at the couple’ 20-acre ranch when an adult female grizzly and two young bears appeared on the property. Rachel Hill spotted the bears around 7 p.m. when she looked out her bedroom window. She hurried outside, yelling to the children to get inside the house.
Jeremy Hill, who had been in the shower, grabbed his daughter’s .270 rifle, loaded the weapon and ran outside. Hill saw one of the bears climbing up the side of the family’s pig pen. He fired a shot at the grizzly, which was a two-year-old male. The two other bears ran off into the woods behind the family’s house.
Hill’s shot hit the grizzly. The bear tumbled off the fence surrounding the pig pen and ran off after the other two bears, limping slightly. The family’s dog chased the bear, which turned around and charged at Hill, who was standing by a large basement window under the deck.
“Fearing there was nothing but (him) and a large pane of glass to keep the wounded bear out of his house, Jeremy took aim and fired again,” Douglas’s statement said.
The bullet hit the grizzly and the bear rolled to the ground. It tried to get up, but fell down.
Hill thought the bear was dead. He went inside to calm his wife and children and call the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to report the shooting. But Hill noticed that the grizzly was crawling off toward the woods. “Knowing that a wounded grizzly bear posed a significant threat,” Hill fired a final shot, killing the bear, according to Douglas’ account.
Two Fish and Game officers and a state grizzly bear biologist arrived at Hill’s house within two hours of the incident. Because grizzlies are a federally protected species, their report was forwarded to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal charge against Hill came in early August.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Cook has declined to comment on the case.
Miners to return to Lucky Friday 
oneanddone on August 29 at 11:20 a.m.
Soon, the left wing federal bureaucracy will be indicting individuals for exhaling the EPA designated pollutant CO2. Your govt at work. Of course, on the other end, the Tea Party thinks if a business provides one minimum wage job then that business owner has the right to have his way with your 10 year old daughter (or son).
Interloper on August 29 at 11:34 a.m.
Taking almost four months to release details…you would think the bear had been shot by the SPVD.
healinhand on August 29 at 11:35 a.m.
More wasting of tax payer money…..Or maybe this is just job justification.
healinhand on August 29 at 11:38 a.m.
Try this one on for size….
“Michigan man killed by grizzly in Yellowstone”
I bet this guy wished he had a gun!!!!!!
healinhand on August 29 at 11:42 a.m.
Theres a lesson here.
The next time a bear attacks you or your property, Kill it and bury it. DON`T try and do the right thing.
JayNW on August 29 at 1:11 p.m.
This is a federal case, so why is the county prosecutor releasing statements? There still seems to be more going on here, more like a pissing match between the feds and locals, making this more of a political issue rather than dealing with it for what it is.
This guy didn’t maliciously kill this bear. I hope the jury acquits him.
force_vector on August 29 at 1:34 p.m.
“The next time a bear attacks you or your property, Kill it and bury it. DON`T try and do the right thing.”
Sad, but very true.
metaline on August 29 at 1:44 p.m.
Oneanddone…huh?
Mike1950 on August 29 at 2:12 p.m.
Oneanddone…you’re a sick person.
LESCO on August 29 at 3:56 p.m.
Sure hope the jury knows their right to nullify.
avboden on August 29 at 5:29 p.m.
How do you all not get this?
He WILL be found guilty.
His family was inside and SAFE!
He had ZERO reason to fire that first shot. It was only after the first shot that the bear tried to leave, and then HIS dog chased after it. Then he was “forced” to fire again.
Sorry, this dude is guilty as guilty could be. His family was inside and safe and he shot it because it was climbing a pig pen. That is not justified, that is murder.
nslopeofw on August 29 at 5:45 p.m.
You cant murder an animal, avboden. Sorry, but bears are deadly and need to be killed when approaching your kids/wife/friend/whatever human is there. its weird that they are protected, as there are gazzillions of them in Alaska, and they are hunted by anyone who wants to kill one.
If it were me, i would not have hesitated to smoke smokey. A .270 is really not a good bear gun, but enough shots will take ‘em out. Need at least a .338 or better. I’ve packed large caliber handguns and shotguns all my life for protection against Brown bears up north, and see not problem with this justified killing.
D Statler on August 29 at 5:46 p.m.
The bear climbing up the side of the pig pen made this shooting justified in my book. The rest was history.BTW: the third shot was mercy! Quit wasting our tax dollars please.
avboden on August 29 at 5:59 p.m.
How is climbing a pig pen mean shoot and kill the thing? That bear’s life is worth more than a few personal pigs.
avboden on August 29 at 6:00 p.m.
Oh and read the damn article folks, the bear NEVER approached his wife and kids.
force_vector on August 29 at 6:28 p.m.
avboden - are you suggesting that he would have only been justified in shooting the bear had it actually attacked his family? Do you not see the threat posed to his family simply by the presence of a bear that is clearly not deterred by the presence of human beings? A bear that wanders onto your property to climb into your pig pen moments after your family has run inside is a threat, plain and simple. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t find so many within the wildlife management community supporting his actions. You are wrong.
avboden on August 29 at 6:46 p.m.
It’s a threat, sure, but it isn’t a great one. Sounds like the guy had guns easily accessible. WAIT to shoot. If you need to shoot it wait until it at least makes a move towards the house. By the account in this article the bear didn’t even move towards the house.
Shoot first ask questions later? That comes to mind. We don’t shoot EVERY bear that goes into a residential neighborhood. Most of them are simply relocated.
Bop on August 29 at 6:51 p.m.
Jeremy Hill’s children were 40 yards away from 3 grizzly bears. 40 yards is 120 ft. A grizzly can exceed 30 mph and out run a horse. At 30 mph a grizzly can travel 120 feet in 2.72 seconds.
force_vector on August 29 at 6:58 p.m.
to expand on Bop’s point, it took three shots to immobilize the bear with what I’m assuming is a bolt action rifle. Had he waited until a charge before taking action, each shot would have had to have been discharged in less than a second (0.9 seconds in fact). That would have been absolutely impossible. A single bear undeterred by your presence is a threat, three bears equals three times the threat. The shots were justified.
avboden on August 29 at 7:01 p.m.
Well, we’ll see what a Jury has to say.
Teseract on August 29 at 7:10 p.m.
I love it when people use the term “murder” when it comes to an animal. It just goes to show out of touch with reality they are when they start thinking a wild animal is a person.
I suggest avboden go out and try to cuddle a grizzly cub in front of it’s mother if they love these animals so much. Then they can get a real taste of what mother nature can deal out.
avboden on August 29 at 7:46 p.m.
I didn’t mean murder in the literal sense. I simply meant it in the sense of a killing of anything that didn’t need to happen. Don’t get me wrong I don’t value that bear above a human, not at all. However, I do value it above his pigs.
Squid on August 29 at 7:46 p.m.
From The Dodd SPD murder story:
“”avboden on August 29 at 5:24 p.m.
uhhh guys, the dude had a weapon deemed deadly, refused to drop it and ran at the cop. I’d have shot him too!
Yes sometimes the cops are wrong, this is not one of those cases.
jump off the bandwagon”“
Apparently it’s OK to with him to shoot a human with a deadly rock, trying to get away from people, but not a grizzly bear with deadly claws and teeth, 40 yards from your kids, that’s determined to kill something.
Squid on August 29 at 7:48 p.m.
Now that’s perfect timing!
Thayne on August 29 at 8:05 p.m.
Didn’t this bear know that it wasn’t allowed within a mile of humans!? What was it thinking. Just because there hasn’t been rain in weeks - that’s no excuse for trying to find water or food. When I build my house next to areas wildlife live in they better not come anywhere near me! Just because it has been their habitat for eons doesn’t matter one bit. Squid - where you there? How do you know the bear was “determined to kill something”? Animals aren’t like humans, they kill for food or defense. After it was shot it became aggressive - duh! Why do these people live in a wildlife area if they don’t know the correct precautions and ways of interacting with it?
gmorton on August 29 at 8:25 p.m.
avboden wrote,
“Sorry, this dude is guilty as guilty could be. His family was inside and safe and he shot it because it was climbing a pig pen. That is not justified, that is murder.”
Then,
“Don’t get me wrong I don’t value that bear above a human, not at all. However, I do value it above his pigs.”
Your values don’t count. They only count on your own property. Mr Hill has no duty to sacrifice something he values, such as his pigs, to preserve something you value, and no duty to make his property available to the public as a wildlife preserve. If you value bears, better keep them off other people’s property.
gmorton on August 29 at 8:27 p.m.
avboden wrote,
“That bear’s life is worth more than a few personal pigs.”
Worth more to whom?
force_vector on August 29 at 8:35 p.m.
“That bear’s life is worth more than a few personal pigs.”
Worth more to whom?”
Not to the bear, apparently.
Squid on August 29 at 8:45 p.m.
Thayne, bears don’t try to climb into pigpens for defense or chit chat, and pigs are usually killed when eaten. It was looking for food. Kids, pigs, whatever it could get the easiest.
If you like grizzlies so much, invite one over for dinner sometime.
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 9:28 p.m.
Numerous courts in the land going back 10 years have said if you shoot a griz, you’ll be indemnified from that if the griz was directly menacing humans.
Numerous people have shot griz dead for killing their livestock, and have been forced to pay a fine for doing so, typically ranging from $2k-$4k.
Sadly, Hill has changed his story, now in the third iteration, every time the grizz gets more menacing, previously it was reported he had no idea where the kids were when he took the shot. Before, he never claimed to be menaced himself by the griz, and it couldn’t have been directly menacing his kids as he had no idea where they were.
Some have claimed the oldest was in charge and closely supervising the younger children.
Was the 14 year old trained what to do in the event of a griz sighting?
Did Jeremy know what to do?
Did Rachel?
Guidelines call for CLOSE SUPERVISION of children in griz country.
Guidelines call for ELECTRIC FENCING around pig pens in griz country.
The Hill’s admittedly ignored both those guidelines.
How many others did they ignore, putting themselves and their children at risk with a confrontation with one of God’s most magnificent and fearsome creatures, which can kill any human in a matter of seconds?
The courts have been very clear, you live in griz country, follow some reasonable precautions, or somebody, or some animal is gonna get hurt, or killed. You can kill a griz ONLY when it’s directly menacing a human or group thereof, otherwise, you will pay a heavy fine.
If you kill a griz threatening or actually killing your livestock, and you haven’t provided the recommended protection for your livestock, and you kill the griz, you’re going to get a heavy fine.
If a RESPONSIBLE person who KNOWS what to do in the event of a griz encounter, is not supervising children, in griz country, than the parents are negligent.
You have RIGHTS and you have RESPONSIBILITIES. You either take them BOTH seriously, or suffer (the well known in advance) CONSEQUENCES.
You CHOOSE to live in griz country, you better take extra special caution, and if you don’t do so, take your punishment like a man, and thank the Good Lord your negligence didn’t result in one of your children being maimed or killed by a griz.
He’s got $20K from the community to settle this thing in a reasonable fashion. Pay the fine, use the rest of the money to build a griz safe pig pen, some more piglets and feed, stipulate to future CLOSE SUPERVISION of children as the FWS guideline says, make your kids happy as these pigs are their pride and joy, and go back to living your life, enjoying your work, and family. Be extra damn thankful your kids were OK in this situation, for which you are partially culpable, at the least.
Thayne on August 29 at 9:32 p.m.
squid the bear was after the pigs - I guess it’s supposed to instinctively know they are only for human consumption. The kids were in the house. “He went inside to calm his wife and children”. I would much rather have animals around than most humans. Maybe we should just put all wild animals in cages and only let them out to shoot them. Like those mighty “hunters” do at those wild game ranches in places like Texas. The animals have no means of escaping. They are fed at certain spots and all the mighty “hunters” have to do is drive up and blast away. How do you know these bears were after the pigs and not a water source? Unless you have a degree in wildlife biology you’re guessing as much as me.
Squid on August 29 at 9:46 p.m.
Hehehehe
Read ALL of this: http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html
Sounds like he was a lot like you.
gmorton on August 29 at 9:56 p.m.
greenlibertarian wrote,
“You have RIGHTS and you have RESPONSIBILITIES.”
Yes, you do. One of the latter is keeping your animals – including those you, the public, have assumed guardianship of as “endangered species” – off other people’s property. Mr Hill has no duty whatsoever to allow your animals to roam freely upon his property, or to incur extraordinary expenses to protect himself or his property from them. If you have adopted them it is *your* responsibility to protect them, not his, and your liability if they cause anyone damage.
gmorton on August 29 at 10:00 p.m.
greenlibertarian wrote,
“You can kill a griz ONLY when it’s directly menacing a human or group thereof, otherwise, you will pay a heavy fine.”
Only if you foolishly report the killing to the State’s minions.
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 10:46 p.m.
Numerous wildlife species are managed by the government, including numerous “game” species. That doesn’t mean the government is responsible for directing the actions of, or being able to control the actions of such WILD animals, whether or not such are on the ESA.
The most deadly wild animal in the country is the white-tailed deer, responsible for more than one hundred fatalities of humans in their cars, per year who collide which such animals, and die in the collision with that deer crashing through their windshield, or crashing their car subsequently as a result.
You are 15 times more likely to be killed by a domestic dog than by a griz.
You are 30 times more likely to die from a bee or a wasp sting then you are a grizz attack.
Millions of people recreate or live in griz country with nary a problem.
If you want to be sure you could kill a griz in the event of a confrontation, you better have something along the lines of a military LMG like a Stoner 86 that can fire 10 rounds a second, because griz have been known to absorb 10 rounds of high powered weaponry and keep charging you.
Is the government responsible when a Bull Moose charges you and damn near kills you? How about a Cougar? What if an Elk charges you, and kills you, your estate gets to sue the government for not managing that animal properly? Get a government check for damages, eh gmorton?
Typical idiocy.
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 10:50 p.m.
“Only if you foolishly report the killing to the State’s minions.”
Thus teaching your children a powerful lesson in subterfuge, dishonesty, and plausible deniability.
Nice morality, that.
Seems the atheist gmorton could learn a lesson from the moral teachings of Jesus.
Squid on August 29 at 10:57 p.m.
The odds of being mauled are 100 million times greater when you encounter a grizzly than getting mauled when you encounter a whitetail deer, domestic dog, bee, or wasp.
Typical idiocy
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 11:05 p.m.
Tim Treadwell was a nutcase and has as much relevance to the case at hand as “Gentle Ben” or “Grizzly Adams”.
Bears, especially griz, are DANGEROUS wild animals.
You either prepare properly to live among them in griz country, or you face the consequences, which may be financial OR DEADLY.
And if you put your children in KNOWN harm’s way, you should suffer SEVERE consequences.
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 11:12 p.m.
Thousands of people encounter a griz every year with no harm done. Thousands more don’t even know they came close to a griz, because their noisemaking made the griz take off running.
A dozen or two, at most, are mauled, mostly because they didn’t have the sense the Good Lord gave them to carry bear pepper spray.
1 or 2 a year are killed by griz.
You’re at least 1000 times more likely to die on the way to griz country than to die in the claws and clutches of that fearsome animal.
Squid on August 29 at 11:14 p.m.
You are wishing his kids SEVERE consequences from the grizzlies?
Hill put the children in harm’s way? I thought the kids were just playing basketball outside. I had no idea that Hill tossed them out for the bears to eat.
Squid on August 29 at 11:23 p.m.
Didn’t the guy who invented the bear pepper spray die from a bear attack?
“Last fall in Wyoming, a grizzly bear charged a hunter who then doused the animal with bear spray. But the grizzly didn’t stop. Another hunter shot the bear as it bit his friend.”
“Tom Smith, a wildlife ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, announced that bears seemed to be attracted to pepper spray residue. Smith watched bears rolling in the stuff after he had sprayed it on the ground.”
http://www.hcn.org/issues/162/5239
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 11:40 p.m.
Learn English grammar squid. Objects and prepositions. Verbs and nouns. You’re ignorant. And confused. I clearly said THE PARENTS should face SEVERE consequences for putting their children in KNOWN harms way. Learn to read, for meaning this time.
Are squids incapable of learning?
Don’t go into griz country, squibby, you’ll be eaten alive.
“Confusion for the consumer doesn’t stop with this controversy. A few years after inventor Bill Pounds first marketed Counter Assault, copycat products began appearing on the market. Since the industry was unregulated at the time, some substandard sprays made it to store shelves.
Last fall in Wyoming, a grizzly bear charged a hunter who then doused the animal with bear spray. But the grizzly didn’t stop. Another hunter shot the bear as it bit his friend.
Scott Fitzwilliams, then spokesman for the Bridger-Teton National Forest, who inspected the shooting, was taken aback when he read the label on the spent bear spray can and discovered that it was intended to stop humans, not bears. “It read something like, “After spraying the attacker, call 911 immediately,” “””he says.”
Stupid morons.
“Pounds never did see the bear, but the next morning he realized he had pitched his tent in the middle of a huckleberry patch, a favorite food for bears.”
Idiot. Darwin’s theory will normally take such folks out.
And a story from 1986 and 1999, really relevant, squib.
nslopeofw on August 29 at 11:40 p.m.
Green-
How close have you been to a griz? I’ve had numerous “encounters”, none of which were good. In all cases, the bear was too close for comfort, and i had a gun aimed at it.
I’ve also been “up close and personal” with Polar bears, and that is horrifying. I had no gun, but was in a vehicle and it still scared the crap out of me. I had to warn workers about 100 yds away that were in the path of it. I would have ran it over if needed. And yes, Treadwell was a nutcase. Sadly he took his girlfriend with him on that last trip.
All these morons who talk about our infringing on the bear’s territory are so wrong. Most of these bears were born within the last 5-10 years, and have no claim on said territory.
I’ve been charged by a bear, and quite a few moose. They are both deadly, but its fairly easy to dodge a moose. Bears are another matter. Better safe than sorry, or dead.
There was an article a couple of weeks ago about a Russian girl who was attacked and eaten by a bear while talking to her mom on her cell.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/265455/Bear-s-eating-me-girl-told-mum-in-call’%20rel=’nofollowBear-s-eating-me-girl-told-mum-in-call
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 11:48 p.m.
Which one are ya, squid?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=squid
This one’s humorous:
“A young man on an incredibly over powered motorcycle, wearing nothing but a helmet.
The term derives from what is discernable from his corpse:
A helmet with stringy fleshy bit dangling from the bottom. ”
Squid on August 29 at 11:54 p.m.
What are the most severe of all consequences for a parent, if he puts his kids in harm’s way, when referring to grizzlies in his yard?
Squid on August 29 at 11:56 p.m.
Ran out of stuff, so you went to the Urban Dic?
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 12:02 a.m.
“All these morons who talk about our infringing on the bear’s territory are so wrong. Most of these bears were born within the last 5-10 years, and have no claim on said territory. ”
So what?
Griz have a lifespan of around 25 years. The griz in the lower 48 have existed there since time immemorial.
The griz in northern Idaho have been there for centuries.
I have seen griz from afar in Glacier NP and Yellowstone NP. What’s your point?
Forgive me if I don’t believe a crazy arss story out of RUSSIA published in an discredited English tabloid.
Who cares, anyway? We already know griz are fearsome creatures.
Deal with it, or don’t, it’s your funeral.
99.9 times out of a hundred, any encounter with a griz, most of them from afar, results in absolutely no harm to either party. If you’re in an up front encounter, it’s usually because you surprised the griz, and God help you then.
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 12:10 a.m.
Squid on August 29 at 11:54 p.m.
What are the most severe of all consequences for a parent, if he puts his kids in harm’s way, when referring to grizzlies in his yard?
Loss of parental custody for blatant child endangerment.
Hill INVITED griz onto his property, by having pigs, a favorite food of griz, not secured from griz predation. Small children are also attractive to bears as food, this is Mother Nature. She always wins in the end, especially when humans don’t use their noggins to protect themselves and their children.
Squid on August 30 at 12:20 a.m.
Stolen from another web site:
Bear Advisory: The Forest Service has issued a BEAR WARNING in the national forests for this summer. They’re urging everyone to protect themselves by wearing bells and carrying pepper spray. Campers should be alert for signs of fresh bear activity, and they should be able to tell the difference between Black Bear dung and Grizzly Bear dung. Black bear dung is rather small and round. Sometimes you can see fruit seeds and/or squirrel fur in it. Grizzly Bear dung has bells in it and smells like pepper spray!
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 12:40 a.m.
An old, old joke that I’ve used myself, squid, recently.
Unfortunately, Mr. Hill faces some serious consequences for his actions, or lack there-of.
Markmissoula on August 30 at 7:42 a.m.
The only thing Mr. Hill did wrong was not killing the other 2 Bears.
gmorton on August 30 at 10:09 a.m.
greenlibertarian wrote,
“Is the government responsible when a Bull Moose charges you and damn near kills you? How about a Cougar? What if an Elk charges you, and kills you, your estate gets to sue the government for not managing that animal properly?”
Not unless it presumes to forbid me from protecting myself on my own property. While on public property, such as National Forests, et al, I accept whatever risks are involved and whatever rules the public has ordained. On my own property I make the rules, and if your animals enter upon it they become subject to those rules.
gmorton on August 30 at 10:23 a.m.
greenlibertarian wrote,
“You are 15 times more likely to be killed by a domestic dog than by a griz.”
That is because there are 15 million times more dogs running loose than grizzly bears, and even fewer bears on my property. And of course, if your dog enters upon my property and injures me you are liable.
Your comparison is so idle it’s silly.
“Thus teaching your children a powerful lesson in subterfuge, dishonesty, and plausible deniability.”
Nothing dishonest about it. And the lesson would be that they’re entitled to defend their lives, liberties, and property by whatever means they see fit, whether the gummint likes it or not, as long as they violate no one else’s similar rights, and that “the public” has no right to expropriate their property for wildlife habitat unless it pays just compensation.
gmorton on August 30 at 10:26 a.m.
greenlibertarian wrote,
“You either prepare properly to live among them in griz country, or you face the consequences, which may be financial OR DEADLY.”
Yes, you do. The way you prepare is by keeping a loaded 30.06 close at hand.
gmorton on August 30 at 10:37 a.m.
… and make sure everyone in the family over 10 years old knows how to use it effectively.
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 12:17 p.m.
“Yes, you do. The way you prepare is by keeping a loaded 30.06 close at hand.”
-gmorton.
Laughable. You can put ten 30 ought 6 rounds in a charging griz, (if you’re lucky to have enough time, doubtful) and it’ll still attack and probably kill you. Good thing you’re not raising kids in griz country.
Like I said, you wanna be sure you can kill a charging griz, in time, you better have the firepower of something like a military issue Stoner 86 light machine gun that fires 10 rounds PER SECOND. Good luck with getting one of those.
nslopeofw on August 30 at 1:56 p.m.
I’m guessing Greenlib has never spent any time around a real grizzly. Not those cute fellers in the parks that just want you to toss them some food.
I’m also guessing we now have the real meaning of his name. Bunny Hugging, tree saving, granola munching, hippy wanna-be. (just messing with ya green, dont get mad)
Bears are deadly, unpredictable wild animals, and should be legal to smoke when they infringe on your family/property.
nslopeofw on August 30 at 1:58 p.m.
Green-
Most bears would be dead from five 30.06 shots straight on, i doubt 1 could survive 10 shots straight on. (unless you are shooting them in the feet.)
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 2:08 p.m.
greenlibertarian on August 29 at 11:05 p.m.
Tim Treadwell was a nutcase and has as much relevance to the case at hand as “Gentle Ben” or “Grizzly Adams”.
Bears, especially griz, are DANGEROUS wild animals.
Pay attention, slope.
I SAID FROM THE GET-GO THEY ARE DANGEROUS ANIMALS.
“Should be legal to smoke them…”
Good luck with that. The Courts have been very clear, as has the Justice Dept., INCLUDING UNDER GWB.
Shoot a griz that’s directly menacing human(s), you’re OK.
Otherwise, you’re going to be charged civilly, and pay a hefty fine, if you take it to trial and lose before a jury.
Has been that way for at least a dozen years.. Don’t like it? Get the law changed. That’ll take minimum 2-5 years. Good luck.
greenlibertarian on August 30 at 2:27 p.m.
Most harmful griz encounters happen and are over in a few seconds, start to finish.
A person is quite unlikely to accurately plug a griz with 10 rounds in that period of time with a conventional semi-automatic rifle or a pistol.
Only a shot dead-on to the brain or spinal cord will stop a charging griz.
Good luck with that as a snarling 800 lb griz is coming at you at 25 mph.
rfbrost on August 30 at 4:08 p.m.
If you are so afraid of wildlife that you can’t resist the urge to kill it, I suggest you go live in a major city (except Anchorage, AK). There are zero people mauled by bears in NYC. If you are going to possess a gun, become educated about where and when you can shoot things.
People who live in bear country should know about basic bear behavior. A mother bear stays with her young for two years. At the end of the two years she drives them off to fend for themselves. This is the most dangerous time for the young bears because, like human teenagers, they do dumb things and need to learn to observe boundaries. (In this case I know the young bears were still with their mother, but given the description, these bears were probably right at the end of their childhood and entering their “teenage” period. Had they been younger, they would have been scared off; had they been older they would not have been with their mother. Bears do not hunt in packs!)
If one is an intelligent humane person who lives in the woods because they enjoy the “wild” then I would expect them to be willing to help educate young bears (rather then kill them) for the safety of themselves and others. There are many tools at hand to deter bears from coming around humans, their homes, and their livestock. Just talk to your local wildlife experts, or any liberal “bear hugger” organizations in your community.
This “cave men” talk is really sad. We humans can do better.