FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is investigating after a grizzly bear was shot and killed in Fremont County late last month.
The adult male grizzly, which had been fitted with a radio collar, was killed Sept. 29 in the area of Coyote Meadows, near the border with Montana.
Grizzly bears are a protected species on both the state and federal level, and there is no current legal hunting season for them in Idaho.
Fish and Game biologists first received a mortality signal from the bear's collar on Sept. 29, and headed out Oct. 1 to see what had happened. After they realized the grizzly had died from a gunshot wound, conservation officers were called in to investigate the shooting.
The investigators found a rifle round in the bear's side, and followed a blood trail from the animal's carcass back to a nearby clearing.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call the Upper Snake Regional Office at 208-525-7290, the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999 or fill out an online report here.
Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.
