Judge blocks Labor Day weekend grizzly bear hunts

A federal judge in Montana issued a Thursday evening court order blocking trophy hunts of Yellowstone’s grizzly bears that were slated to begin Saturday for the first time in 40 years.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen issued a 14-day restraining order before the states of Wyoming and Idaho were scheduled to open licensed grizzly hunts. The state was given the discretion to manage the hunts after the Trump administration removed the bear’s protective status earlier in the year.