Shooting Of Bear Ruled Act Of Self-Defense

A man who shot and killed a grizzly bear east of Yellowstone National Park acted in self-defense and will not be charged with a crime, according to Wyoming Department of Game and Fish investigators.

Danny Barngrover of Powell said he was hunting elk near Crow Creek on Saturday when he saw a grizzly sow with two cubs about 12 yards away from him. The bear began charging him.

As he turned around to face the animal, it stopped about six yards away, hidden behind a tree. It charged again, and he shot and killed the bear with a hunting rifle.

“She was just a mother bear protecting her babies and I was just protecting myself,” Barngrover said. “I feel bad I had to shoot her. She was just being a mother.”