A grizzly bear is the only land animal that will hunt you back. That’s what a former spokesman for Idaho Fish and Game once told me.

The rejection—issued in a routine rule-making process—means that fish and game agencies in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana won't be managing grizzly bears through hunter harvest any time soon.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a comprehensive plan on Wednesday that would create a new geographic region throughout Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in which grizzly bears ...