Rural solidarity is clearly up against anti-rural bigotry in the continuing debate over federal prosecution of a north Idaho man who fatally shot one of three grizzly bears that wandered onto his property and allegedly posed an immediate threat to his children.
The case remains a hot topic among Northwest hunters and gun rights activists at the Hunting-Washington, Northwest Firearms, WaGuns and HuntFishNW forums.
Over the weekend, the debate got nasty in the wake of the release of a letter written by Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas in support of Jeremy Hill, who killed a male grizzly back in May, immediately reported it to state wildlife agents, and now finds himself charged with a federal crime. Portions of the letter were quoted by the Spokane Spokesman-Review
“In the weeks since the federal charge was filed, I’ve seen this community and our state and local elected officials, including Governor Butch Otter, stand up on behalf of Jeremy and his family. As an elected official and as prosecuting attorney for this county, I’ve heard the concerns of local citizens and feel it’s my duty to take a closer look at the issues, even though I’m not involved with this case. I owe it to the people of Boundary County to be a beacon pursuing justice.”—Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas
As if to underscore just how stupid some of the anti-rural bunch is, one must read the reader comments in the Spokesman-Review under outdoor writer Rich Landers’ column that ran the other day and ignited the weekend fireworks. A pro-grizzly advocate calling himself/herself “Wizard of Oz” certainly wins the prize for forum foolishness with this remark, that also smacks of an anti-gun sentiment:
“The children, he (Hill) said, were outside shooting baskets in front of the house,”
So NOBODY was supervising the children while they were using firearms. That should be a charge in itself.—‘Wizard of Oz’
At least two readers quickly explained to “Wizard” that “shooting baskets” alludes to playing impromptu basketball, but at this point, one might be tempted to ask, “What else can you expect from some city slicker?”
To those living in the wilds of north Idaho, this is clearly a case of self-defense, to the degree that Hill, knowing his children were outside playing basketball at the time, were within easy running distance of a sow grizzly with cubs. The bears apparently came onto Hill’s property to make a meal of some pigs the children were raising. There may be no more dangerous combination in North America than a momma grizzly with cubs.
Perhaps those with short memories forget the sow grizzly that killed a California hiker in Yellowstone Park in July. Park officials did not hunt down the bear because they determined
“…the bear was acting naturally to protect its cubs.”—USA Today
And as you read this, Yellowstone officials are trying to find out whether another hiker, this one from northern Michigan, was killed the other day by a grizzly. According to published reports, the man’s body was found on the Mary Mountain trail by other hikers late last week. Park rangers and biologists spent the weekend looking for clues, and the bear.
UPDATE: Wildlife officials have reportedly determined, through an autopsy, that the hiker was, indeed, killed by the bear.
If Hill is convicted, he faces a year in prison, a $50,000 fine and the loss of his gun rights.
“Grizzly bears are unpredictable, dangerous predators. In my mind, there’s no question that the Hill family was likely in danger or that Jeremy, by his actions, did what he did in defense of his family and his property. I believe that our local IDFG officers did a thorough investigation and came to the proper conclusion that Jeremy Hill acted reasonably in light of the circumstances.” —Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas
Battle lines are definitely drawn, and there does not appear to be any sign that federal prosecutors will withdraw the charge against Hill. As this column noted, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is supporting Hill, as is most of the North Idaho population. Unless there is a change of venue, that’s going to be the jury pool.
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