Hunter pleads not guilty in North Fork grizzly case

Posted 5/23/23

A Wapiti man alleged to have mistakenly killed a grizzly bear on the North Fork this month has been temporarily barred from hunting.

Patrick M. Gogerty faces a misdemeanor count of taking a …

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Hunter pleads not guilty in North Fork grizzly case

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A Wapiti man alleged to have mistakenly killed a grizzly bear on the North Fork this month has been temporarily barred from hunting.

Patrick M. Gogerty faces a misdemeanor count of taking a trophy game animal without the proper license or authority. Charging documents say Gogerty shot the grizzly after mistaking it for a black bear — the species he was actually hunting on the morning of May 1. The bear’s carcass was spotted by passersby on the Northfork highway and drew significant public attention. Gogerty reported the killing the following day, on the morning of May 2.

Gogerty pleaded not guilty during a Friday appearance in Park County Circuit Court.

“The court does not hold it against you if you plead not guilty. You can always enter a plea later and change your plea,” Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah advised the defendant. “So can I enter a not guilty plea for you at this point in time, sir?”

“Yes, your honor,” Gogerty said.

He initially said he wasn’t planning to hire an attorney, but reversed course at the encouragement of the judge.

Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Eichele said the state was fine with Gogerty remaining free on his own recognizance while the case is pending, but on the condition that he not hunt. Darrah agreed to those terms.

“You are not to go hunting at all during the pendency of this case,” the judge told Gogerty. The judge noted that Gogerty can still apply for preference points this year, which could help him secure a hunting license in the future.

The case drew substantial public attention because the grizzly was shot and killed within view of U.S. Highway 14/16/20W and miles from Yellowstone National Park’s East Entrance.

Passersby reported the dead bear to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department on the morning of May 1. The animal was subsequently seen by people across the globe, as photographs of the carcass were widely shared on social media — and then by local and national media outlets. A necropsy determined that the 530-pound bear was shot at least four times.

Gogerty reportedly called the Game and Fish early on the morning of May 2, some 20 hours after the department had first received word of the dead bear.

“Gogerty should have turned himself in immediately,” North Cody Game Warden Travis Crane wrote in a charging affidavit.

Several hunters have mistaken grizzlies for black bears on the North Fork in recent years and immediately reported the mistake; they’ve generally been required to pay more than $10,000 in fines and restitution.

Darrah set an Aug. 23 status conference for Gogerty’s case and tentatively scheduled a jury trial for Oct. 12.

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