Local Game Warden Kills Bear While Hunting

A local game warden has found himself on the other side of an investigation after reporting that he killed a grizzly bear while out hunting last Wednesday.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation are jointly investigating the killing of an adult female grizzly bear northwest of Cody on Wednesday, October 25th. Powell resident Chris Queen, a game warden with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, was elk hunting in the Little Sunlight Basin when the incident occurred.
Queen told investigators that he was returning to his horses on Wednesday evening at about 6:30 p.m. when he came upon a grizzly sow with three cubs. When the sow saw Queen, she initiated what he immediately recognized as a “bluff charge.” He said he slowly backed away, attempting to gain distance from the bears, but after returning to her cubs, the sow began exhibiting even more aggressive behavior. When she went into a full charge directly at Queen, he says he discharged his hunting rifle, killing the charging grizzly, which fell only a few feet from where he stood.
While Queen is under investigation for killing the grizzly, Lance Mathess with the Sheriff’s office says that it’s not unusual for the department to be asked to investigate an incident when a member of another law enforcement agency is involved.

According to Game and Fish, Queen reported the incident to his immediate supervisor via his cell phone right after it occurred. Investigators with the Sheriff’s Department are being assisted by members of the Game and Fish Department, including bear experts – Game and Fish are currently assessing the condition of the cubs and will continue to monitor their status.