COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A hunter shot and killed a grizzly bear mistaken for a black bear in the Panhandle Region earlier this week, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG).
IDFG said the bear was shot on Monday, June 10, in unit 6 of the Panhandle area near the Lower St. Joe River, which is five miles from St. Maries and an area Fish and Game said is not commonly used by grizzly bears.
In an update sent out by Idaho Fish and Game on Tuesday, June 18, two days before the bear was killed, the hunter recorded video of the bear at the black bear bait site and sent it to fish and game. The hunter told fish and game that he was concerned that the bear was a grizzly and not a black bear.
Idaho Fish and Game said staff "misidentified the young bear as a black bear because it lacked some common features of a grizzly," sharing that information with the hunter.
"Fish and Game regrets the mistake made by its staff, the undue stress the situation caused for the hunter and the loss of the grizzly bear," Fish and Game said Tuesday's update. "Fish and Game is reviewing its staff’s part in the incident as a personnel matter."
IDFG said the hunter contacted them after identifying the bear as a grizzly at the scene.
Fish and Game concluded its investigation, saying the hunter was hunting over a legal black bear bait site and was not issued a citation due to "extenuating circumstances."
IDFG said most of Idaho's bears can be found in the northern Panhandle area and in and around Yellowstone National Park in Eastern Idaho. IDFG also said that young male grizzly bears may wander into areas where people don't expect to encounter them.
Fish and Game said all hunters are encouraged to review bear identification skills to avoid mistaking the identity of a bear.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Panhandle Regional Office at (208) 769-1414.
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