Grizzly attacks man near home in Idaho

TETONIA, Idaho – An eastern Idaho man was mauled by a grizzly bear just outside his rural home, suffering deep bite and claw wounds across his back, investigators said.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the 33-year-old victim of the Tuesday night bear attack, saying he requested anonymity. They said he was in stable condition and good spirits in an Idaho Falls hospital.

“He just stepped outside of his house to look for his dog … then the bear knocked him down,” said Idaho Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Steve Schmidt, who visited the man Wednesday.

“The bear caused significant injuries to his head, back, shoulder and buttocks. In other words, the bear was biting him all over his backside,” Schmidt said.

On Wednesday, local police and fish and game officials set out to capture the bear, laying a series of traps and snares near the victim’s home in a rural subdivision outside Tetonia, about five miles west of the Wyoming border.

Schmidt said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has the authority to manage grizzly bears, granted the state agency permission to remove the bear from the wild. The bear’s fate, if captured, is uncertain, they said.

“After the well-being of the victim, the safety of the public is our top concern,” said Jon Heggen, the state agency’s enforcement chief.

The attack is the first in Idaho since July 3, 2006, when a female grizzly attacked a hiker near the western border of Yellowstone National Park. Grizzly attacks in Idaho are rare compared with neighboring states such as Wyoming and Montana, Idaho officials said.

In Tuesday’s attack, investigators said the bear was likely drawn to the area to snack on a moose carcass discovered about 50 yards behind the man’s house. The landscape is a mix of sagebrush terraces and ravines timbered with aspen and conifers and inside a region known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

“The cover is thick enough that unless you walked back there, you wouldn’t know a bear was there,” Schmidt said.

Grizzly bears have been protected for decades under the Endangered Species Act, but the federal government has proposed removing them from that list, citing steady increases in the population in and around Yellowstone National Park.

Federal biologists say the bear population has grown from 4 percent to 7 percent a year since the mid-’90s and that more than 600 grizzlies now live in that region.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Ferries pass on a crossing between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island. (Andy Bronson / Herald file)
State commission approves rate hike for ferry trips

Ticket prices are set to rise about 6% over the next two years.

Marysville recruit Brian Donaldson, holds onto his helmet as he drags a 5-inch line 200 feet in Snohomish County’s first fire training academy run through an obstacle course at the South Snohomish Fire & Rescue training ground on Monday, March 26, 2018 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Voters approve fire and EMS levy lifts in Snohomish County

All measures in Marysville, North County Fire and Snohomish County Fire District No. 4 passed with at least 60% of votes.

Stock photo 
Homicides dropped by 43.7% in across Snohomish County while violent crime decreased 5.4%. In 2024, the county recorded 12 murders, just under half the previous year’s total.
Crime down overall in Snohomish County in 2024, new report says

Murder and sex crimes went down in Snohomish County. Drug-related offenses, however, were up.

Inside one of the classrooms at the new Marysville Family YMCA Early Learning Center on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
YMCA of Snohomish County opens new early learning center in Marysville

A ribbon-cutting Tuesday celebrated the $4 million remodel and expansion, opening in September.

Regional Director Nicole Smith-Mathews talks about the new mobile opioid treatment clinic on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Snohomish County mobile opioid care unit showcased

The clinic, based in Gold Bar, will provide treatment to rural areas where options are limited.

The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (WSCJTC) graduation of Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) Class 915 on Tuesday, July 29, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. This is the first class to complete training at the agency’s new Northwest Regional Campus in Arlington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
First class graduates from Arlington’s police academy

The ceremony celebrated 27 new police officers, many who will work in Snohomish County.

Mattie Hanley, wife of DARPA director Stephen Winchell, smashes a bottle to christen the USX-1 Defiant, first-of-its kind autonomous naval ship, at Everett Ship Repair on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
No crew required: Christening held for autonomous ship prototype in Everett

Built in Whidbey Island, the USX-1 Defiant is part of a larger goal to bring unmanned surface vessels to the US Navy.

The sun begins to set as people walk along the Edmonds Fishing Pier on Thursday, July 17, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County heat wave will be short-lived, forecasters say

Snohomish County remains under a heat advisory until Tuesday night, with cooler, wet weather returning before the weekend.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man, 94, drowns in Lake Stevens on Sunday

Officers said incident appears to be accidental.

Everett
Shooting in Everett leaves one wounded

On Sunday, Everett police responded to gunshot reports on Corbin Drive.

One person dead in single-vehicle crash near Index on Sunday

The victim was ejected from the vehicle, fire officials said.

Pedestrians cross the intersection of Evergreen Way and Airport Road on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In Snohomish County, pedestrian fatalities continue a troublesome trend

As Everett and other cities eye new traffic safety measures, crashes involving pedestrians show little signs of decreasing.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.