Investigation into Thompson River griz shooting completed

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials have completed their investigation of a reported self-defense shooting of a male grizzly bear in the Lower Thompson River area on Oct. 26.

The investigation was conducted by game warden Troy Hinck and warden sergeant Jon Obst, and their conclusion corroborated the information given by the hunter. No criminal charges are being filed.

According to FWP, the man was hunting deer along the Little Thompson River when he heard a noise to his left and saw a large bear running out of the brush towards him.

He said he shot the grizzly in the chest at a distance of about 11 yards with a .270 caliber rifle, and the bear ran off into the brush.

The hunter and his companion followed the bear’s tracks briefly until they realized it was a grizzly, at which time they left the area and reported the incident to FWP.

FWP reported that the bear was a collared male grizzly. It was first captured in a research trap in Elder Creek, B.C. in 2011. No radio collar was attached.

On April 7, 2014, FWP captured the same bear at a livestock depredation site south of Eureka. The bear was collared and released along Camas Creek Road in Glacier National Park.

The bear was monitored monthly and shown to be in the North Fork area until late April, when it moved to the Middle Fork of the Flathead River area. The bear’s last location in September was in the Star Meadows area north of Whitefish.

“It is not illegal to shoot an animal in defense of human life per state law,” FWP Warden Captain Lee Anderson said.

The law does require that such incidents are quickly reported to FWP enforcement so a thorough investigation can be conducted to determine what actually happened.