Defense of Life: Surprise Grizzly Attack in Idaho

As dark fell, just outside the ominously named town of Last Chance, a man's blood turned cold as he heard his girlfriend scream ...

It was an ordinary night in early June in Island Park, Idaho, just outside Last Chance. A man--who hasn't been named--and his girlfriend were just getting home. As he unloaded the car, she headed to their home to unlock it. As she passed out of his field of view, the early summer night was split by a scream.

Shocked, the man saw a grizzly bear charging right at his girlfriend. They had only moments to react. Luckily, one of the things our nameless hero was unloading at the time happened to be the one thing you'd want more than anything else if a grizzly bear were charging you: a shotgun.

Muscle memory took over. He raised the shotgun and fired on the bear, which turned tail and ran away immediately. But it didn't run far.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game responded to the scene upon receiving a call about a dead bear near the roadway. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the homeowner acted in defense-of-life during a surprise encounter with the bear from a short distance. This is the human/animal equivalent of a justified shooting between humans, meaning that the man will not be charged.

Grizzly bears are protected under state and federal law, and Idaho's Fish and Game would like to remind people that grizzly bears may be encountered in the Greater Yellowstone area as well as in north Idaho.

Here are some good reminders when living in grizzly 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.