I'm sure, but it's dangerous to shoot bears in this area. Black bears, not so much, but Grizzlies are protected. If it can't be proven that the bear was shot in self-defense, you're looking at a federal prison sentence- especially in the park. Which is why we carry bear spray from mid-spring till early fall... And this guy didn't have any spray on him. Not that it would have helped him if he was mauled, and it wasn't clipped to his belt. And now it's legal to carry guns in the park, so that might have been a good idea in his case.
Casualties resulting from bear attacks are extremely rare, in fact the two this summer were the first in almost seven years. The newspaper said the autopsy results for this guy were "inconclusive." They were unable to tell if he died due to a bear attack or other circumstances (he was 75), yet the rangers have set up several bear traps in this area, which is known for it's high bear traffic. Sounds fishy to me.
No doubt, it is illegal to carry on federal land. Not to get to political, but look what that same law has done for D.C. if i cant carry, I don't go there. Not sure which is more scary, bear country, or D.C.
