Editor:

A few weeks ago, Wyoming hunter Stephen Westmoreland found himself in an incredibly dangerous situation with a grizzly. He startled a bear feeding on a moose carcass near Grand Teton National Park. The grizzly was about 40 yards away. According to the Jackson Hole paper, the grizzly stood up, then "dropped to all fours and moved several steps towards" Westmoreland. He shot and killed the bear. Authorities said he killed a bear that was "not an immediate threat." Now he's been charged with taking a grizzly bear without a license.

If Westmoreland is guilty of a crime, so is the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. WGFD fails to provide hunters with instructions and training on how to use their firearm effectively for self-defense during a surprise encounter with a nearby grizzly. WGFD does not give hunters a recommendation on when to shoot at a charging grizzly: 25 yards? 15 yards? Closer? People who don't know when to shoot tend to panic and fire too soon, or panic and fire a wild shot at the last second.

Could Westmoreland have used bear spray? Possibly, but without a full account of the circumstances, that's impossible to say. There are many situations when bear spray is not an option for hunters. If the bear had charged Westmoreland, it would have been on him in about two seconds. The WGFD does not prepare hunters to safely handle a worst-case scenario with a grizzly. This time a bear died. Next time it could be a hunter.

DAVE SMITH, Avalon, Calif.

Author, "Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive

Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters"