Man faces 2 charges over bear shooting

The Daily Inter Lake

The man who allegedly shot and killed a bear cub in a residential area on Big Mountain has been cited by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Joe Machado was cited for killing a game animal during a closed season and for wasting game, Warden Captain Ed Kelly said.

Although the state's spring bear season is currently open, the closed-season citation was issued because Machado allegedly shot the bear out of a tree after dark, when all hunting is prohibited.

He was cited for wasting game because he disposed of the carcass in a garbage container.

The shooting outraged residents in Ptarmigan Village, where the shooting occurred.

Neighbors say Machado was drinking beer and threatening to shoot three bears - an adult female and two yearling cubs - that were in a tree Tuesday night. Machado owns a condominium in the subdivision, but the bears were reportedly in a tree on someone else's property.

A subdivision employee warned Machado not to shoot the bears, partly because the subdivision's rules prohibit shooting.

The yearling was shot shortly after 10 p.m. The incident was reported the following day. Warden Brian Sommers issued the citations that afternoon.

Machado is scheduled to appear in Justice Court by May 27.