An Idaho father and son were sentenced and banned from hunting for killing a grizzly bear near Yellowstone National Park.

According to Idaho Fish and Game, Jared and Rex Baum were sentenced this month for the 2021 killing in Fremont County, Idaho. Fremont County borders Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

Jared Baum pleaded guilty to a felony and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, three years probation, $2,500 in fines and $10,000 in civil penalties.

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Jared Baum, the son, also received a lifetime hunting revocation in 48 states, including Wyoming.

Rex Baum pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 177 suspended. He also received a 10-year hunting ban.

The investigation began in March 2021 when game wardens and a sheriff's deputy responded to a mortality signal coming from the collar of a research grizzly bear. Authorities found the sow grizzly partially submerged in a river and determined that it had not died from natural causes.

A bullet was retrieved from the sow's ribcage.

Further investigation yielded 12 bullets and one bullet fragment in the sow's body. Investigators also discovered a dead male grizzly cub in the sow's den that died as a result of the sow's failure to return.

According to the release, Fish and Game officers interviewed Jared Baum at his home where he admitted to shooting the bear but said he thought it was a black bear. Back bear season was not open at the time of the killing.

Jared Baum reportedly told investigators he tracked the bear and thought he'd shot it 40 times as it was running downstream in the Little Warm River. Once Jared Baum saw that the bear was a grizzly, he realized he'd shot her too many times and she was going to die, so he "finished" her.

Fish and Game reports that Jared Baum eventually admitted that his father was with him during the shooting. After they saw a Fish and Game news release seeking information for the deceased bear, Jared Baum told officers he disposed of the two Ruger-57 handguns used in the shooting in a bond. Investigators were unable to locate the weapons.

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