Record bear killed by hunter had been fed by resort worker/restaurant for 17 years

[RamboLiberal]

BUSHKILL, Pa. -- A massive bear that's the heaviest in state history was a tame, gentle animal, according to the man who spent more than 15 years feeding it treats near the grounds of a northeastern Pennsylvania mountain resort.

Dubbed Bozo, the black bear was a fixture in the area around Fernwood Resorts, eating from restaurant trash bins and sometimes letting people pet him. But the 879-pound bear was killed by a hunter Nov. 15 on the first day of archery season.

Pennsylvania Game Commission officials said the hunter who bagged Bozo, the heaviest bear ever harvested in the state, did nothing illegal. But that hasn't stopped an outpouring of grief from residents who had grown to love him.

"I'm devastated. I'm just devastated," said Leroy Lewis, 71, the former resort groundskeeper who began feeding the then-cub more than a decade ago. "I mean I feel like I lost a friend."

Mr. Lewis said the bear would knock on the door when he was hungry.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10326/1105301-100.stm#ixzz163RWmytd

Pic of Bozo at this link: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101120/NEWS/11200302

[xchrom]

1. Some 'kill'. Nt

[joeybee12]

3. The bear probably walked up to the killer, like an animal would in a petting zoo,,,nt

[Kaleva]

59. There's a reason they don't have bears at petting zoos

[WillyT]

69. Same Reason They Don't Have People, Huh ???

:shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Quick bet: Who was bigger? The bear or the archer?

Even money.

[H2O Man]

4. The archer

was very little.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Nice.

:thumbsup:

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

5. Time for the bear to feed the people, I suppose.

I guess the moral of the story is not to keep your pets on hunting grounds.

[maxsolomon]

37. "The People" generally don't eat Bear

there's tons of Deer almost everywhere in this country, and the meat is far superior. Bear are hunted for the challenge.

maybe you eat Bear, but you're in a very small minority of "the people".

this story leaves a sour, greasy, top-of-the-food-chain taste in my mouth.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jmowreader]

73. Bear sausage is wonderful...

and bear fat makes the very best boot waterproofer known to man.

[Upton]

6. Real tough guy..

kills a tame bear.

[Brickbat]

8. Congrats to the hunter -- bow-hunting a bear is hard work.

Shame on the people who fed the bear. They really should have known better.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. Bow hunting a bear that strolls up looking for a picnic basket

that's real hard work.

[Brickbat]

12. From the story, it says it was a clean kill.

Bears, even fat "tame" ones, can wander for miles looking for food; I didn't get the impression from the story that the guy was standing next to the restaurant when he took the shot. I guess I could be mistaken, though. :shrug:

Still, it's hard to argue that bowhunting a bear is an easy thing to do. You have to be very sure of that shot.

[superduperfarleft]

25. Bow-hunting your neighbor's cat is probably "hard work," too.

Doesn't mean it was the right thing to do.

[flvegan]

31. NAZI!!

:rofl:

[Brickbat]

41. ROFLMAO.

:rofl:

[marmar]

9. I choked up a bit reading this story.

nt

[Lance_Boyle]

11. This could have been avoided

had the well-meaning groundskeeper not fed the wild animal in the first place. Nothing good was going to come of that.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. Absolutely. I love animals too, but other than birds no feeding allowed. No good can come

of it in the long run. :(

[ladjf]

44. I had to stop feeding birds in my backyard because the local

hawks were eating two or three per day. nt

[GreenPartyVoter]

45. That's too bad. :^( As far as I know we haven't had that happen with ours. (I hope!)

[ladjf]

49. Our yard was located in a thick forest ten years ago. When all of

the trees were clear cut, it left the smaller birds with no protection. There are a few old hardwoods left which are the lookout perches for the hawks. I've never seen such an high population of hawks as there are in my area.

[GreenPartyVoter]

61. Yeah, our property is pretty heavily wooded so for the moment it's a great spot for all the

nuthatches et al.

[KittyWampus]

54. Once I pulled my car into the back parking lot, in front of the bird feeder, and one of the doves

eating seed from the ground evaporated into a cloud of feathers right before my eyes as a hawk came from nowheres and picked up his lunch.

[amborin]

74. we have the same issue with Cooper's

but the ratio of hawks to birds is low, so we keep putting the bird seed out

[Dappleganger]

52. My parents used to feed a bunch of wild racoons...

from the deck in their backyard. My sister and I would scold them to stop because of the possibility of rabies but they wouldn't listen. When Mom had a stroke we came back to the house to get some things one night, and there at the back sliding glass door was an entire row of eyes peering at us--must have been two mommas and all their large babies. I was scared to death the cat would get out and be mauled to death. :(

[GreenPartyVoter]

62. Oh yeah! We had a juvenile raccoon hanging around here this summer. Made me very nervous.

[frylock]

27. yep..

but it's easier to hate the guy with the bow.

[uppityperson]

33. Indeed. DON'T feed wildlife. It won't end happily.

[SoCalDem]

50. Yep..humans do the animals no favor by making them lose their fear of humans

poor bear:cry:

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[flvegan]

13. Could one even eat the meat of a bear that old?

My heart truly bleeds for Mr. Price in that the "peak of (his) hunting career" is tainted by killing a tame animal.

Douchebag.

[DainBramaged]

14. I will bet that this 'hunter' knew of this bear, but we may never find out the truth

I second the douchebag.

[PavePusher]

89. Yes you can...

and if the guy didn't know about the bear's history (I haven't seen evidence that he did), then he does not deserve any blame.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

15. I. Hate. Hunting.

Sport hunters are a bunch of sick fucks, in my book. I hope some bear in the future gnaws this asshats skull for breakfast.

[lumberjack_jeff]

17. A fed bear is a dead bear.

They're supposed to be wild animals.

[XemaSab]

19. +1

n/t

[bluedigger]

26. +1000

[alphafemale]

35. And there's no such thing as a tame bear.

I'm just shocked it took 17 years for a tragedy to happen and that it's not a dead kid whose parents wanted a photo with junior hugging the sweet gentle bear.

[Canuckistanian]

71. Yes

The bear MAY have been well-behaved, but that could have changed at any time. One mauling and that bear would have had to be killed anyways.

[donco6]

72. True.

Foolish to do that. Or to let people "pet" the bear.

[LisaL]

18. That is one sad story.

[happi1]

20. just

:-(

[BeFree]

21. In a related story

A nice big steer that would nuzzle up to it's owner, is now n a refrigerated truck headed for mcd's.

It was lead, kicking and screaming into a chute were a shotgun was placed against it's head.
Trigger pulled, hook inserted, the meat was swung from a hoist, head down, and drained of blood.

Angry citizens soon overcame their grief when the price of hamburger went down 2 cents.

[EternalOptimist01]

28. That's nothing

You should see me gut a trout. I can have it gutted, wrapped in tin foil and on the grill in under two minutes!

Large mouth bass.. longer because I like to fellet it. Catfish is awesome!!

Rabbit..
Squirrel...
Dove...

I loooooove sea food.

I've never killed a deer though... I might in the future though. Depends. I don't really see a need.

I plan on raising pigs and chickens in the near future. Maybe some cows. But I won't be sending them to Mcd's that's for sure.

:P

[sofa king]

22. Sad story all around.

Habituation to humans is the tragic theme. The bear likely wouldn't have been as big as it was were it not for habituation to humans. It certainly would not have allowed an archer to get within effective range of it were it not for habituation to humans. And, of course, the community wouldn't be emotionally devastated by the loss of a single bear were it not for its habituation to humans.

I live in black bear country and have even chanced to see one now and then. When I do, they're always doing the same thing: getting the hell away from me. The one exception is an example exactly like this one, a big, fat daily fed one that hangs around Big Meadows. Let me tell you: it is not cool to be hiking and find a bear that's not interested in running away from you.

Please don't feed the bears.

[EternalOptimist01]

23. Grrrr!

I got choked up too. I hate this.

There was fault here.. and it rest soley with Mr. Leroy Lewis. Idiot.

You don't feed large wild animals. You don't! Period.

They lose their fear of humans. It's not fair to the animals.

I bet that bear was a beautiful sight. It still would be if it had run away from humans.

I have a problem with trophy hunting anyways.

[EFerrari]

24. Stupid asshole. n/t

[11 Bravo]

34. If you're speaking of the fool who fed a wild animal, thus leading it to lose it's natural fear ...

of humans, then I agree.

[EFerrari]

36. Well, I was talking about the shooter, but you're right. n/t

[blue neen]

29. A friend sent me a picture of the bear on the cell phone. He was enormous.

I couldn't hunt myself, but living here in Pennsylvania, it's an idea one gets used to.

IMHO, the restaurant should not have been feeding the bear. It's not a good idea for a number of reasons, one being exactly what happened in the story.

[Obamanaut]

30. Hopefully the groundskeeper and others will no longer feed bears. nt

[NNN0LHI]

32. The person that trained this bear to associate food with humans was an idiot

If the bow-hunter was hunting legally and in season he has nothing to be ashamed of. Hunter can't read the bears mind and know it just wanted a Tootsie Roll.

Don

[RetroLounge]

38. Another douchebag Ted Nugent wannabe...

:puke:

RL

[slackmaster]

39. A lifetime of abuse by humans

Bummer for the bear all around.

[AmandaMae]

40. Hunting makes me sick. What a sad story.

[Taverner]

42. OK - that's it. I'm Anti Hunting.

Fuck it!

I've swallowed that bitter fucking pill for way too long...

[Kaleva]

43. It might have been a good thing that the bear was killed

There is no such thing as a "tame" bear that lives in the wild. Someone petting a bear that learned early on that humans provide food is just looking for a Darwin Award.

"It is important not to artificially feed bears and attempt to bring them around your house."

http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/Landowners_Guide/Species_Mgmt/Black_Bears.htm

"“Bears have the potential to become problem animals when people feed them, either intentionally or not. A bear that becomes accustomed to finding food in someone’s yard will return to that yard, and the yards of neighbors until it gradually loses its natural instinct to avoid people. It is critical that residents take every precaution to ‘bear proof’ their surroundings.”"

"Should you see a black bear, do not approach it under any circumstances."

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/news/bearfeed.htm

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

81. There have been dozens of stories of "tame" bears turning on people

Same with people who raise wolves and tigers and killer whales......

But there is a segment of DU that just doesn't get it and never will.

[laughingliberal]

84. ...

[BlueIris]

46. My wild cats have learned to knock. Can't imagine a bear doing it, though.

Poor bear feeder dude.

[beam me up scottie]

47. How long does it take an 879 lb. bear to bleed to death?

I'll never understand how killing an animal can make a person feel good, especially when it suffers and dies slowly.

[AlecBGreen]

53. my perspective

I do NOT hunt for sport or for the thrill of putting a big 10 point rack on my wall. Like some say around here, you dont eat the horns. I try to get 3 deer a season. I DO feel good when I kill a deer for several reasons. #1, it helps feed me and my wife for a looong time. One healthy deer can provide 30+ pounds of meat. Thats hundreds of dollars worth of very healthy food. #2, the deer had a great life and one bad day. If I have a good shot like I did the other day, it dies instantly. If it takes a second shot, the animal goes from living to dead in under a minute. Contrast that with a spent dairy cow getting ground up for hamburger or a factory pig *shudder* That is legalized torture. #3 I am playing a small part in restoring a little balance. The deer population where I live is running rampant. There are so many that some starve during the winter, others get chronic wasting diseases from overpopulation. By thinning the herd, I am doing my part to reduce that suffering. Whenever I kill an animal I always give thanks for it and the life it will help sustain.

[Coventina]

56. None of your points apply to this bear. Unless the bear was hunted for meat?

I'll admit I have not read the full story, I couldn't bring myself to click on the link.

But, very few bears are hunted for meat in this country. They are hunted as trophies, which is sick.

Full disclosure: I don't eat meat, but I think your ethics of hunting and eating what you kill are commendable and better than hiding behind the sanitized, plastic wrapped hunks in grocery stores. Too many people don't want to know what's behind "what's for dinner".

[AlecBGreen]

57. yeah I didnt want to open it either :(

sad story for everyone involved it sounds like.

As to the bear hunting, I couldnt say one way or the other. I have never hunted bear but Id like to try the meat and see how it tastes. The county I live in here in Virginia has by far the highest black bear population in the state and also the highest number killed per season (150+). I was surprised to find that the VA Dept of Game & Inland Fisheries says that despite this, the population is still growing. I dont know how many are taken strictly for sport vs. strictly for meat but I do see lots of battered old pickups with the dog kennel cabs being driven around by grizzly old mountain men. I think for them its probably hunting for many reasons: its tradition, its what their daddys did, its the thrill of the hunt, and its a lot of food in a poor area.

Few things sicken me more than the way this country raises its livestock for consumption. In any other circumstances the things done to those poor creatures would be felony animal cruelty yet doing it and saying "its just business" somehow makes it all OK :grr: My goal is to open a small farm and raise livestock humanely. As a biology major & high school science teacher AND an aspiring farmer, Im am constantly amazed at how grazing animals can be done in such a way so as to REPAIR the ecological damage we have wrought on this continent.

[AlecBGreen]

58. p.s. you are absolutely right on this one

Too many people don't want to know what's behind "what's for dinner".

People DONT want to know. They WANT to remain ignorant. If they did learn the truth they would be forced to confront their conscience and that is something that most people will go great lengths to avoid.

[Coventina]

60. So true, my friend! I hope you prosper in your efforts to improve

agriculture.

[WinkyDink]

48. Oh, great; right up the road from me.

[Rex]

51. Well it was tame and gentle...so it had to be killed!

So much better than going after a real WILD bear in BFE! I wonder if he put some food out, knowing it would show up. I'll never understand why hunters go after bears, you can't eat one and most are just looking for a warm meal. Now a angry out of control bear I can understand...but not with a bow. Very inhuman imo.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

80. I'm sorry, but there is no wild animal that is truly "tame".

This story was going to end badly, one way or another. Had the bear ended up taking someone's head off, probably a kid, maybe that would have been a better wake up call.......DON'T FEED THE BEARS!

[Rex]

88. You are 100% correct. Amazing that no one died in all those years

I just think it is inhuman to kill something that big with a bow.

[EarthFirster]

55. Uhm, Indians hunted all sorts of animals also

Hunting is a huge industry,provides lots of money for national parks, or at least open grasslands. Without hunting, deer would overpopulate, and destroy natural diversity of life in certain areas, such as Utah, where cougars no longer can hunt them. Bear hunting keeps populations in check, sorry. Its a balancing act, one we are just figuring out.

The main problem we have is overpopulation, which was dropped as in issue by the Sierra Club and others, due to an influx of money from some very evil people. We need to be at 200 million, no 500 million by 2100. That will be a disaster beyond contemplation.

[eppur_se_muova]

65. DDDDDick Cheney approves. nt

[Freetradesucks]

66. So because somebody let

the bear eat out of their trash for 15 years, it can't be hunted?

If anything there should be an * next to the record because it wasn't naturally fat. That's the only problem I see.

[1620rock]

67. If these kind of guys didn't hunt...

They would be beating their wives, or hanging around grade schools in rubber rain coats.

[Mojorabbit]

78. My husband hunts with a bow

only that which we will eat, he is as gentle as can be and is a family physician and a good caring one at that. He has never laid a hand on anyone. Don't paint with a broad brush

[PavePusher]

90. Open bigotry...

how classy.

[1620rock]

68. Dupe

[KansasVoter]

70. Those hunters are pretty tough guys!

[rucky]

75. I hope he never plays in the NFL again.

[tuckessee]

76. Another animal serial killer strikes again. n/t

[PavePusher]

91. Are you a vegan, or a snarkist? n/t

[Codeine]

77. The dumbfucks who fed the bear are the problem here. nt

[jberryhill]

79. "sometimes letting people pet him"

Oh, a bear is knocking on the door because he is hungry. Let's go outside and feed him.

What's the bag limit on Pocono Nitwits this year?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

82. Based on some posts here....

...there are some ready to join them.

[opihimoimoi]

83. Real hunters stalk their game....for bears...they use an 8 inch bowie knife...only....

[jancantor]

85. If Sarah Palin is an idiot (and she is) for coming CLOSE to a bear

and maybe too close as per Alaska game regulations (not sure if she did, but it looked close to me), then the people who were FEEDING this bear were much much stupider. It is fucking astoundingly stupid to feed a bear and habituate it to coming to human beings as a source of food. It is practically begging for a tragedy. It may be sad that this big, apparently gentle (lol) bear was felled by an arrow, it would be much worse if some restaurant patron or employee was mauled and killed for trusting it to be gentle.

These are incredibly powerful, incredibly predatory animals. I see no reason to condemn the hunter, but I see ample reason to condemn those who fed the bear. And by doing so, that's probably why the bear unsuspectingly walked into this hunter's arrow.

[B Calm]

86. This fishing resort I use to go to in Northern Minnesota had a

small fawn. They nursed it with a baby bottle and it grew up very tame. All the people in the resort loved this deer. I was sad to learn this deer when she was three years old was killed on the first day of hunting season.

[woo me with science]

87. This is so sad

all the way around.