A man charged with killing a male grizzly bear that supporters say wandered into his yard where his children were playing has pleaded not guilty in federal court.

Jeremy M. Hill, 33, of the western state of Idaho was arraigned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene on a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking a federally protected species.

The hearing for Hill drew dozens of supporters who claim he was doing nothing more than protecting his family when the bear, accompanied by two other bears, ambled on to his rural, 20-acre (8-hectare) property near the Canadian border on May 8.

The crowd was so big that the magistrate judge moved the hearing to a bigger courtroom.

Federal prosecutors say Hill shot the bear with a bolt-action rifle, but they have shared few other details of their investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Cook declined to comment to reporters after the hearing.

A jury trial has been set for Oct. 4. If convicted, Hill could face penalties of up to one year in prison and fines up to $50,000. He has been appointed a federal public defender and is free on bond.

The Endangered Species Act classifies the grizzly bear as a threatened species in the lower 48 states, and it is protected by federal law.

Hill and his wife have six children, and their home is between two federal grizzly bear recovery zones _ the Selkirk zone to the west and Cabinet-Yaak zone to the east. Biologists estimate that 100 grizzlies inhabit the zones that include parts of Idaho, British Columbia and Montana.

The bears are a controversial topic in Boundary County, as habitat protection by federal agencies has impacted the timber harvest and logging industry.

Supporters say several of Hill's children were playing in the yard when the bear approached, and he notified Idaho wildlife officials after shooting it.