Idaho Men Sentenced for Killing Grizzly Bear

ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (KLIX)-A father and son from Ashton will serve some jail time and pay fines for killing a mother grizzly bear in 2021. According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Jared and Rex Baum were handed down sentences earlier in April for the unlawful killing of a sow grizzly that had been radio-collared. The bear had been found shot on April 9, 2021, at the Little Warm River. The radio collar had notified Idaho conservation officers the bear had died. Further investigation found the animal had 12 bullets and one fragment inside of it. Investigators then went to the bear's den site and found a deceased male cub that had died. Conservation officers spoke with Jared Baum in November when he admitted to shooting the bear thinking it had been a black bear however, there hadn't been any open hunts for black bears at the time. He also admitted that his father was involved and that they disposed of two handguns in a pond used to shoot the bear. Idaho Fish and Game with help from the Bonneville County Search and Rescue Dive Team looked for the firearms but didn't find anything. Jared, as part of a plea deal, will never be able to hunt again, will serve 30 days in the Freemont County Jail, three years of probation, with two years fixed, three indeterminate suspended. He will also have to pay $2,500 fines and court costs, and a $10,000 civil penalty. Rex pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was given 180 days in jail but most of it was suspended down to three days. He must also pay $1,000 in fines and court costs, $400 in civil penalties, and won't be able to hunt for 10 years.

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