Wyoming

Grizzlies Fight Over Food Right Next To Wyoming Man’s Truck

Published

2 years ago

July 26, 2024

Grizzlies Fight Over Food Right Next To Wyoming Man’s Truck

Getting video of a grizzly mother and cub fighting over food, practically within arm’s reach, seemed cool enough to share on social media for a Cody man, but he didn’t expect it to catch fire.

“It was funny. It was just a typical day at work for me. I had no idea it was going to blow up like that,” Ryan Aune told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday afternoon.

It’s easy to see why it did. From inside the cab of his truck, Aune had his camera running when the sow and cub burst through the underbrush next to the road, each with their jaws clamped tight on some sort of carcass. They were fighting over control of the food even while on the move. Another cub runs alongside them.

Both bears are vocalizing while trying to get the meat from the other, an example that while grizzly mommas take good care of their cubs, they don’t always share. And it’s a lesson for the cub that as an apex predator, it takes what it needs.

The video, which he posted Wednesday, already had more than 1.2 million views on Facebook by Thursday afternoon.

“That’s what it’s like living in Wyoming. What you think is normal is insane to other people,” said Aune, who owns Wyoming Wings & Waters guide service.

Reaction to the video has been mostly positive, although there have been some peanut gallery comments, he said.

“Somebody commented something like, ‘Great filming, said no one, ever.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Sure, you try being right next to grizzlies fighting and not flinch,” Aune said.

He took the video at 5:50 a.m. Wednesday alongside the highway between Cub Creek and Lake Butte in Yellowstone National Park, as he was on his way to meet a fishing client.

It wasn’t his first close encounter with grizzlies. In 2019, Aune shot and killed a grizzly with birdshot from just a few feet away when it charged him near the Clarks Fork River.

Wildlife agents investigated the shooting and cleared it as a case legitimate self-defense, but Aune said the experience still made him sad.

‘I Could Feel Every Little Bit Of It’

Aune frequently drives into Yellowstone through the East Gate early in morning, so he’s used to seeing grizzlies and other wildlife along the way.

When he spotted some grizzlies coming out of the cover right next to the highway, he decided it was worth pulling over and maybe get some video.

“It was like, ‘Oh, there’s bears, it looks like they’re playing. No, wait, they’re fighting over something,’” he said.

By time he his rig pulled over and he rolled down his window to shoot video on his smartphone, the grizzlies had retreated into the trees and brush. But he started recording anyway, just in case.

“All of the sudden, there comes momma grizzly out of the trees, straight at me,” Aune said.

And the cubs were right with her. One cub just seemed to be following along.

The other was tussling violently with its mother over a scrap of food.

Exactly what it was they were fighting over, Aune isn’t sure.

“I think it was a marmot, but I’m not sure. I was more focused on safety at that point,” he said.

The mother grizzly and cub didn’t appear to be trying to hurt each other, but each was tugging mightily at the tasty treat, not wanting the other to get it.

They were growling and huffing ferociously.

The trio of bears was maybe 15 feet away from his open window.

“I could feel the sound in my body. I could feel every bit of it,” Aune said.

The bears were completely caught up in what they were doing and didn’t seem to notice Aune or his truck.

“I’ve got a 2022 F-350, which is very noticeable,” he said.

After a few seconds of mighty struggle, the video ends with the cub claiming the prize and running back into the cover, with its mother and sibling close behind.

After viewing the video, Wyoming Game and Fish Large Carnivore Specialist Dan Thompson said it appeared to be a typical case of grizzlies struggling over who got the last bite.

But whether the cub ultimately prevailed remains unknown, he told Cowboy State Daily.

“It looks to me like they’re having a tussle over the last scrap of food at the table, and junior won … for now,” he said.

Hunting and fishing guide Ryan Aune of Cody shot and killed this grizzly bear when it charged him near the Clark’s Fork River in 2019. Investigators deemed the shooting justified self-defense, but Aune said killing the bear saddened him. (Courtesy Ryan Aune, Wyoming Wings and Waters Guide Service)
Hunting and fishing guide Ryan Aune of Cody shot and killed this grizzly bear when it charged him near the Clark’s Fork River in 2019. Investigators deemed the shooting justified self-defense, but Aune said killing the bear saddened him. (Courtesy Ryan Aune, Wyoming Wings and Waters Guide Service)

2019 Encounter Ending In Shooting

Aune said that Wednesday’s encounter gave him “flashbacks” to nearly being mauled in 2019.

He and his father were bird hunting along the Clarks Fork River one November day.

“We had just gotten finished burying a great bird dog, and we were just trying to make a bummer of a day into a good day by going hunting in that dog’s honor,” he said.

Aune was in what he described as a “tunnel of trees” near the river when he heard his father yell, “grizzly!”

He heard some thrashing, and a grizzly cub appeared out of the cover in front of him. He shouted at it, and the cub turned to run toward the river.

“I turned to my left, and there was momma grizzly not about 10 feet from me,” he said. “I had nowhere to go, and I just started shooting.”

His semiautomatic Berretta 12-gauge was loaded with No. 6 birdshot. Those are small pellets made to knock upland gamebirds out of the air, not to take down angry grizzlies.

But at near point-blank range, the pattern was so bunched up that each blast hit almost like single projectile.

The bear was standing when Aune opened fire, and the first two shots hit it in the upper chest and neck area.

The bear dropped to all fours and tried to charge, but the third blast “went right through the skull” and instantly killed it, Aune said.

He left the bear’s carcass and the empty shotgun shell hulls right where they fell so game agents could investigate the scene.

It’s illegal to shoot a grizzly in the Lower 48, unless it’s in self-defense. Investigators must be called to the scene as soon as possible.

Though he was cleared of any wrongdoing, and the bear appeared to have already been in poor bodily condition, Aune said killing the grizzly weighed heavily on him.

He was particularly saddened by orphaning the cub.

“It took me a while to get over that,” he said.

He hopes that any future encounters with grizzlies will involve photos and video, not gunfire.

“I don’t wish that feeling on anyone. What you feel like when you have to kill something to save your own life,” he said.

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Group asks judge to restore abortion rights, block Human Heartbeat Act

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Group asks judge to restore abortion rights, block Human Heartbeat Act

A group of abortion access advocates are asking the Natrona County District Court to block the Human Heartbeat Act. The law went into effect on March 9 and bans most abortions at six weeks.

That’s because cardiac activity can be detected with a transvaginal ultrasound at about six weeks — a time when abortion advocates say many people don’t know they’re pregnant yet.

The motion to the court states that the new law involves the same “fundamental problem” as other abortion-related laws already being considered by the court.

They are asking to add the law to an ongoing case over separate laws, which would require building renovations at abortion clinics and require transvaginal ultrasounds 48 hours before an abortion. Both of those laws have been temporarily blocked.

“[The Human Heartbeat Act] transgresses the constitutional guarantee of Plaintiffs’ and individuals’ to make health care decisions without interference from the government,” says the document filed on the afternoon of March 10 by Robinson Bramlet LLC.

Wyoming Public Radio obtained the filing from Chelsea’s Fund, an abortion-rights nonprofit and one of the plaintiffs in the case — part of the same group that has been challenging the state for years to protect abortion access.

They recently won their case in the Wyoming Supreme Court, when the majority of justices decided to strike down two near-total abortion laws enacted in 2024, saying they violated residents’ right to make their own healthcare decisions, which is specifically protected in the Wyoming Constitution.

The Legislature quickly got to work on more anti-abortion legislation, such as the Human Heartbeat Act, which Gov. Mark Gordon signed on March 9. It carries an exception for cases where the health of the mother is in jeopardy, but not for rape or incest victims, which Gordon called an “unfortunate flaw.”

Chelsea’s Fund Executive Director Janean Forsyth said she was disappointed the state again restricted access to “vital care.”

“I’m thinking about everyone from the 15 year old that we supported, whose grandmother actually reached out, a victim of sexual assault,” Forsyth said. “I’m thinking about a family with a very wanted pregnancy that we supported in eventually seeking an abortion for a severe fetal anomaly.”

Forsyth added that abortion laws like this result in medical providers leaving the state.

“So it’s not only affecting access to abortion care, it’s affecting reproductive healthcare access generally for parents and children, which is really unfortunate,” she said.

Wellspring Health Access in Casper, the state’s only abortion clinic, is cancelling appointments with patients seeking to end their pregnancies later in their term, according to Executive Director Katie Knutter.

Speaker of the House Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) sponsored the law. He said he wasn’t surprised it was met with legal action, as that’s been the trend in recent years.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Neiman said in a voicemail to Wyoming Public Radio after the lawsuit was filed. “And we’re going to move ahead and the people of the Legislature, Wyoming has spoken.”

Lawmakers decided against putting the issue directly before Wyoming voters as a constitutional amendment this fall. That’s after Gordon urged them to do so to end the legal cycle.

Neiman couldn’t be reached by publication time to comment on the decision to not pursue a constitutional amendment, but in a Jan. 26 town hall, he expressed worries that voters could codify the right to abortion.

In 2024, 64% of Nevada voters supported enshrining the right into the state constitution. A majority will have to vote in favor again later this year to recognize the right.

In his voicemail, Neiman added, “There’s folks out there that are completely good with killing kids, killing babies in the womb, and there’s other folks out here like the Legislature that are fighting desperately to preserve their lives.”

The abortion-rights group said it will ask the court to issue a temporary restraining order and block the new law while the legal challenge proceeds.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

Published

14 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.

WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026

Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.

Class 1A

Paul McNiven – Burlington

Bitner Philpott – Burlington

Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)

Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville

Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie

Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)

Corbin Matthews – Lusk

Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)

Jace Westring – Saratoga

Hazen Williams – Saratoga

TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)

Nic Schiller – Upton

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

Class 2A

Caleb Adsit – Big Horn

Chase Garber – Big Horn

Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain

Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni

Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)

Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian

Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)

Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian

The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.

Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw

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Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.

One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”

The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”

The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.

It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.

The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.

Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”

Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”

The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.

SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.

Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”

Both bills go into effect July 1.

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