Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wildlife officials locate errant grizzly

Female bruin and her cubs were surprised by hunters in late June


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Idaho wildlife officials have located a female grizzly that attacked a hunter in eastern Idaho on June 28. Based on preliminary testing results of saliva from one of the bite marks on the hunter, officials confirmed that the bear involved in the incident was a radio-collared grizzly with three cubs.

The hunter was one of a group of three who used hounds to surround the female grizzly and her cubs. According to an Idaho Department of Fish and Game news release, the bear charged the hunters. After knocking down 38-year-old Keith Klingler of Idaho Falls, the bear bit him on the right arm and tossed him around.

Keith's brother, Eric Klingler, fired his .44-caliber Magnum handgun at the bear, aiming high to avoid hitting his brother. Fish and Game officials now believe that he may have missed the bear or only inflicted a flesh wound.

When Fish and Game officials flew over the area in early July they found the collared bear and her three young cubs. All four appeared fine, said Daryl Meints, regional wildlife manager for Fish and Game's Upper Snake Region.

Keith Klingler was treated at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg for lacerations to his right arm. He had no other apparent injuries, Fish and Game stated. The Klingler brothers and Corey Raichart, all three from the Idaho Falls area, were hunting black bears with hounds on Bishop Mountain near Harriman State Park in Idaho's Island Park area.

They thought they had treed a black bear. But when they arrived, they quickly realized they had a grizzly on their hands. None of them noticed whether the bear was wearing a radio collar.

Fish and Game officials plan to continue weekly monitoring from the air, but they do not plan to track the bear on the ground unless they get a mortality signal from its radio collar.

Jason Kauffman: jkauffman@mtexpress.com




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.