So I'm sure y'all have heard the story about the record book (tame) black bear that was killed in Pennsylvania by a "hunter" a week or so ago. Apparently, the bear's name was Bozo, and was raised from a cub by a 71 year old groundskeeper at a small resort in NE Pennsylvania. For 17 years, this kind fella fed Bozo a variety of donuts, leftovers and random junk food. Bozo kept him company, and hung out in the neighborhood, buddying up to all the neighbors. After all the twinkies and ice cream sandwiches, Bozo tipped the scales at a solid 879 pounds. Along comes some guy who apparently takes notice of Bozo, and decides to hunt him down during Pennsylvania's archery bear season. It must've been a thrilling hunt, as the proud hunter called it "the peak of his hunting career." LOL The brave woodsman has told news outlets that he's disappointed in the groundswell of public outrage, and can't understand why anyone would look down on him for slaying the record-book behemoth. This all begs the question: What the hell is wrong with people? Ya know... In the matter of a week, we have some jackass shoot and kill a game warden over a poached spike... Then, we have this guy show up and slay somebody's pet bear. What is it about hunting that seems to attract the lowest forms of human life? Why are we stuck dealing with the lowest common denominator? Isn't there something else out there that they can do? Why don't they take up ice carving or something? Maybe origami or feng shui?
I feel the only alternative for this type loon-a-tick is to start shooting people for trophies. Sad world we love in I tell ya.
^^^^^We continue to agree on this. Tell me more about the bear. It wasn't in captivity - was it? Poached? I'm not defending the guy. I'm just wondering what the whole story is.
It goes back to caveman days. Atouk shoots bigeer t-rex then you makes Atouk a better hunter.No matter what kind of rock he dropped on the T-rex's head
It wasn't in a fence. It was just tame. It was like the neighborhood mascot. It would eat out of your hand. From what I understand, there's no doubt this guy not only knew the bear was tame, but he went the extra mile to gain legal access to a piece of property where he knew it frequented. Sad and pathetic. Here's a link to a real news story, instead of my warped version of what happened: http://www.delawareonline.com/artic...illed-in-Pa-had-been-tamed-by-resort-employee Word on the street is that the PA Game Commish apparently bent over backwards to try to hammer this guy with some fines, but he was 100% legal. He wasn't trespassing, they couldn't prove that he baited the bear, and he used a legal weapon. It's just one of those situations where the guy didn't "technically" do anything wrong (at least that anybody can prove) . . . but it really makes you scratch your head and wonder how in the hell a person like that is allowed to wield a deadly weapon and share the woods with the rest of us. Pennsylvania just lives up to the stereotypes year-in, year-out.
But, Fran....how many people on this board would do the same thing to drop a huge buck? There was a thread here a while back about a buck running behind some ladies house....and EVERYONE wanted to go kill it. Just sayin....................
True that, brother. True that. This bear story is just a microcosm of what hunting has become. Sad. It's definitely not a gentleman's sport anymore.
If she was hand feeding it donuts... Shame on them for wanting to kill her buck. If she wasn't hand feeding... it's legal... it's fair game. She probably wanted it dead for eating her flowers anyways !! Hell Fran probably would date her before he was married just to get a crack at the buck !! LOL Tim
I wouldn't want to be associated with hunting or killing the thing, that's for sure. With that said, what in the hell was the groundskeeper thinking? That's the sort of thing that happens when you feed wild bears. He's lucky Bozo didn't rip his head or kill a kid somewhere first. That's what happens when they lose their fear of people.
I am afraid that I ask myself that same question everyday! I wish people would be respectful of mother nature and the animals in the wild. I might as well ask for world peace. Unfortunately I think people who missing something in there lives take up hunting to find it, but they don't understand what hunting is all about so the are hunting for all the wrong reasons. Yes, killing a trophy is great, and hunting a certain animal for years and finally getting it is also great. However, just being out in the woods and enjoying nature is fulfilling also. Some people think that hunting is all about KILLING!!! I used to guide hunters for duck hunting. If you want to the worst people who should not ever be allowed to buy a hunting license, take up guiding. You will meet a lot of awesome people, some of who you will become life long friends, but you will also meet people that it will take all your self control not to physically hurt these people. There are few of them luckily, but they are definitely out there. The old saying is very true, "One bad apple will ruin the bunch!". However I did meet some of my very best life friends guiding the hunting ducks.
Fran...I've been saying for years that "My fellow hunter rarely misses a chance to disappoint me". I've been in camp with guys (within the last week) who admittedly poach.....and I'm talking to a man. I know a guy, here, who's still hunting after TELLING ME he's already taken one over the limit (bucks). It's like people aren't ashamed. It's like it's.........................................normal. I have no faith in hunters (as a group). None. Nada. I believe little of what I read (from hunters) online. Stories like this don't surprise me. I expect it.
So, the bear wasn't a pet, the guy didn't break any laws, and people are criticizing him? Really? It was a wild bear, no matter how tame it seemed. Say what you want about the "sport" of it, but the hunter did nothing wrong. The guy who fed the bear was the person breaking the law here. This is the same reason why people have sued hunters for shooting an albino buck that "was their reincarnated husband". They feed a wild animal and "tame" it, then when some hunter who has EVERY LEGAL RIGHT, kills the said animal... he is criticized??? That is ridiculous. I had a sow with three cubs that was visiting my back yard every evening several years ago, she would venture up a few feet from the house to get a treat from the bird feeders.... eventually she started walking onto my neighbors porch during daylight hours and we had to call the PGC to trap her.... I can say that if she was still around in bear season and I would have been hunting, I would have shot her without an ounce of hesitation and I would have been happy with it. The only problem I see here is people trying to turn wild animals into pets, they create a relationship with any animal that should have never been started. They get attached to something that ISN'T their property or pet, and when that animal is killed by a hunter they start a public outrage that makes hunters look bad, whats even worse is when hunters are trying to tear other hunters down for something perfectly legal.
Feed a bear in Colorado and you're breaking the law. I guess that's different in Pennsylvania. I'm curious why the game department didn't bend over backwards to stop this "bad habit" forming practice. What did they expect? What did anyone expect? I believe blame should be placed properly and it shouldn't be all on the hunter. If he knew the bear was a pet, then shame on him not not keeping it real. Sounds like he did nothing illegal though.
I find it more shameful for people to feed a BEAR and tame it down in a neighborhood....those are THE most dangerous bears around. A buddy of mine worked in the Smokey Mountains trapping and relocating bears, they had to put down several problem bears due to idiots like the old man in the story. To crucify a guy for killing a monsterous wild animal just because someone else was feeding it is stupid. He didn't shoot the bear with a donut in it's mouth on the guys back porch. I don't know the whole story, but I certainly wouldn't lay all the blame and shame on the hunter. It doesn't sound like an animal I'd pursue, but I won't knock someone else for it either.
Why limit it to hunters??? The ENTIRE human race is self-centered, disrespectful, Laodecian, God hating ... I mean, why limit it to hunters?? It's MOST people EVERYWHERE
If that guy knew it was tame, he's a loser. The people that fed it are very lucky they didnt get someone killed. There must be something in the water in that area
He's been feeding it for 17 yrs along with a neighbor. That bear would knock on the door when he was hungry according to the newspaper article, and some people posed with their arms around it for pictures !!
You know, the "PEOPLE" you should be asking what's wrong with are the ones that fed the damned bear in the first place!!! They are WILD animals, not pets. Had that bear not been killed this year, and in the spring mauled a toddler over his ice cream cone, then what would your response be??? Gimme a break, assumed tame or not, the hunter killed a GIANT bear, and he killed it legally. I see this as more sporting than many of the "ranches" where deer are in a 200-500 acre enclosure and people go an kill them. What's really wrong is the outrage over this when all of those people were enabling that bear to become dependent upon humans and create an environment where that bear lacked a NATURAL fear of humans!!! You're anger/frustrations are MISDIRECTED!!! At least a few of us here appear to see the BIG PICTURE!!!
