A 15-year-old in Huson, Montana, shot and killed a grizzly bear in self-defense on June 5 after the animal charged him at his family’s chicken coop, according to a KPAX report by Emily Brown. A federal investigation is now underway because grizzly bears are a protected species under the Endangered Species Act.
The teen, identified by his family as Colton, used a .270 rifle to stop the charge. Neither he nor any family members were injured.
The bear came back twice
The Richardson family’s ordeal began earlier that day. According to the KPAX report, a neighbor alerted the family that a bear — believed at the time to be a black bear — had been seen coming up their driveway carrying a chicken in its mouth.
The family thought the incident was over. That evening, the chickens made noise again. Rory Richardson, Colton’s father, told KPAX the family went up to the coop to investigate, and the bear came around the corner huffing directly at his son.
“It happened so fast,” Colton said in the broadcast. He said he knew he had to make his first shot count.
The bear fled after being shot and was found dead in a nearby ditch. The Richardsons initially believed it was a cinnamon-phase black bear — a common color variant — and were caught off guard when the animal turned out to be a grizzly.
A federal case, not just a local one
That distinction matters legally. Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, placing them under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Killing one — even in self-defense — triggers a federal review.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) responded to the scene and removed the bear’s body. “It’s the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that takes the lead,” FWP spokesperson Vivaca Crowser told KPAX. “The investigation is still ongoing.”
Self-defense kills of grizzlies are a recognized exception under federal law, but they require documentation and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The Richardsons have not been charged.
‘A lot different circumstances’
Rory Richardson told KPAX the outcome could have been far worse. His younger son, Ryker, could just as easily have been the one to walk up to the coop alone.
The family now plans to install an electric fence around the property — a precaution FWP actively recommends for households in grizzly habitat. Crowser said prevention is the primary tool wildlife managers have for reducing dangerous encounters. “We live in wild country, and there’s wild animals here,” Rory said in the broadcast.
What this means for readers outside Montana
Grizzly bear encounters are a persistent challenge across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which includes the Missoula area. As grizzly populations have recovered under ESA protections — from fewer than 150 animals in 1975 to more than 1,000 today across both ecosystems, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data — overlap between bears and rural residents has increased.
The debate over grizzly delisting, which would return management authority to individual states, has been ongoing for years. Incidents like this one are frequently cited by both wildlife advocates and rural landowners in that broader policy conversation, though no policy changes are currently before Congress.
For households in bear country, FWP recommends securing chicken coops and livestock pens with electric fencing, removing bird feeders and other food attractants, and storing garbage in bear-resistant containers.
SOURCES & LINKS
- KPAX / MTN News, Emily Brown, June 5, 2026 — https://www.kpax.com/news/missoula-county/15-year-old-charged-by-grizzly-shoots-kills-bear-in-his-backyard
- MTN News video report (YouTube), Emily Brown, June 5, 2026 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAeOgtDXlPY
