BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking the public's help in solving the illegal shooting of a grizzly bear that occurred in eastern Idaho last month.
Officials say an adult female grizzly bear was shot and killed near the Pole Bridge Campground in Island Park between March 15 and March 23. Grizzly bears are protected by both state and federal law with no current hunting season in Idaho.
"The loss of a reproductive female grizzly is a real tragedy," says Regional Conservation Officer Doug Petersen. "Someone out there knows what happened to this bear and we are asking them to come forward and share that information with us."
After receiving a mortality signal from the bear's collar, Fish and Game staff discovered the bear's carcass lying partially submerged in the Little Warm River. The bear died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The female grizzly's den site revealed a 6-8 week old cub that also died as a result of her death.
Fish and Game says this is the third grizzly bear shooting to have occurred in the same general area over the past eight months. In September of 2020 an adult male grizzly was shot and killed in Coyote Meadows followed by the shooting of a young male bear in November that was discovered near the Cold Springs Road. All three cases remain under investigation.
Due to the seriousness of this crime, the following entities are offering rewards with a combined potential payout of $40,000 for information that helps solve the case:
- Citizens Against Poaching is offering $5,000 for info that leads to a citation.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $5,000 reward for info leading to an arrest or a criminal conviction of the person(s) responsible.
- Rewards from non-governmental organizations total up to $30,000
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the Upper Snake Regional Office 208-525-7290, Citizen's Against Poaching hotline 1-800-632-5999 or report online. Callers may remain anonymous.
