ISLAND PARK, Idaho — An Island Park man shot and killed a grizzly bear Thursday after it charged his girlfriend in the driveway of their home near Last Chance, according to Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG).
IDFG said that on June 6, the man and his girlfriend were getting out of their vehicle to go inside their home when the yearling grizzly charged the woman.
According to the report, the man was in the process of taking things – including his shotgun – out of his vehicle when the incident occurred, enabling him to quickly grab the weapon and shoot at the oncoming bear, which then ran off.
Idaho Fish and Game officers later received a call of a dead bear along a nearby roadway, and determined it was the same bear involved in the charging incident.
IDFG determined that the homeowner acted in "defense-of-life" during the encounter. The department reminds the public that grizzly bears are protected under state and federal law, and that the animals reside in and around the Greater Yellowstone area and north Idaho.
Idaho Fish and Game provided the following reminders for those residing in or visiting bear country:
- Properly dispose of attractants, including trash and compost.
- Securely store food, garbage, beehives, grain spills, scented products and other attractants in a bear-resistant place.
- Keep pet food secured as you do your own. Bears like pet food as much as your pet does.
- Many attractants can be secured in hard-sided buildings with four walls, a roof and locking door.
- Avoid filling bird feeders until wintertime.
- Do not bury or throw garbage into the nearby woods.
- Make sure to clean your grills and keep them in a building, if possible.
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