Father: Hunters Mistakenly Shot Grizzly

Two hunters who had a deadly encounter with a young male grizzly bear Friday were certain it was a black bear when they shot it, said a third member of their hunting party. The bear killed Steve Stevenson, 39, after it was shot by Ty Bell, 20. Bell is originally from Bonners Ferry but recently moved to Winnemucca, Nev. Ty Bell could not be reached for comment, but his father, Bill Bell, who was hunting nearby, said there was no way his son could have known it was a federally protected grizzly, not a black bear, despite his knowledge about the two species’ distinguishing characteristics. “The thing that people don’t understand is that not all grizzlies have a certain color,” he said. “Not all grizzlies, especially young grizzlies, have the pronounced features of the hump or the dished face. A lot of the younger bears, you can’t tell that they are grizzlies”/ Chelsea Bannach , SR. More here.

Question: Is this an understandable mistake?