Montanan In Legal Trouble After Grizzly Bear Killed

A Montana outfitter is in hot water after allegedly shooting a grizzly bear during the spring black bear hunting season, and then waiting two weeks to report it. Federal law is crystal clear: if you kill a grizzly, you have five days to notify state or federal wildlife agents.

According to court documents, Bryant Mikkelson of Timber Mountain Outfitters, based in Buffalo, reportedly shot the bear on May 27. Instead of making that call, investigators say he sent texts and photos of himself posing with the grizzly. Now, he’s facing a misdemeanor charge for failing to report the killing of a grizzly bear. Prosecutors have recommended a $10,000 fine and one year of probation. His change of plea hearing is set for September 9.

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Unfortunately, this kind of thing isn’t exactly rare. Similar incidents have already happened in Wyoming and Idaho this year, though in those cases, the hunters did report the kills in time. Sometimes, it’s a case of misidentification. Grizzlies can vary in color, some even look a lot like cinnamon-colored black bears.

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That’s why Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming all require hunters to take a bear identification course before heading out. It’s meant to prevent exactly this kind of mistake, but as we see, errors still happen.

Whether this was an intentional delay or a bad call in the field, the takeaway is the same: know your target, follow the law, and if you make a mistake, own up to it fast.

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