Quote:
"He wasn't coming for my autograph."
Classic
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| Self-defense from Bear http://ellegon.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=6196 |
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| Author: | JoeH [ Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Self-defense from Bear |
Bear shooter avoids charges By WHITNEY ROYSTER Star-Tribune environmental reporter JACKSON -- Ken Meade agrees it's fair to say he's relieved he was not charged with killing an endangered species. Federal officials recently determined the 65-year-old Lander man killed a grizzly bear in self-defense last fall. The case marks what is perhaps the last time a federal agency will be involved with investigating a grizzly killing. The bears were removed from federal protection earlier this year, and control of the animals now rests with the state. Meade said the one shot he fired to kill the 4-year-old, 350- to 400-pound male grizzly in October was "the luckiest shot of my life." On Oct. 11, Meade was hunting elk on Togwotee Pass with his chocolate Lab, Clementine. He was camping in a camper, less than 50 yards from U.S. Highway 26/287, he said this week, two weeks after he received word his case had been ruled to be self-defense. He had declined to be interviewed last fall because of the ongoing investigation. At about 6:45 a.m. that morning, he climbed a sagebrush hill behind the camper to the edge of timber. Clementine started barking, Meade said. He looked down to his camper and saw a bear walking around the camper. Meade yelled at the bear, which did another lap around the camper. "I could see its nose down to the ground," he said. "It got on my trail and started coming at us at a run." The contour of the land put the bear out of sight for a bit, and then it reappeared, coming toward Meade. "When he reappeared he was coming at me in a dead run," he said. He fired his .338 caliber rifle, killing the bear at a distance of 23 yards, as determined later by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation. Meade said he didn't know it was a grizzly until after he shot it. He said it didn't matter, as the bear was coming so close. "When it got to within 23 yards, I was sure he was coming to get you," he said. "He wasn't coming for my autograph." Meade fired one shot, hitting the bear just below the jaw in the chest. It died instantly, he said. He had to walk by the bear to return to his camper, and then saw it was a grizzly. Meade left immediately and went to the Blackrock Ranger Station. He said he got there before it even opened at 8 a.m. By 11 a.m., an investigation began, Meade said. He said he "didn't try to cover anything up." The investigation was conducted by the Fish and Wildlife Services because the bear was listed then as a threatened species. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department also conducted an investigation. Meade said the wheels of justice slowed once the report was sent to the U.S. attorney's office for review. John R. Barksdale, assistant U.S. attorney, said the reports are factual in nature, and his office reviews the facts. "Based upon the report, we look and decide whether there is enough evidence" to file charges, he said. "In this case, we found it to be in self-defense." He said the fact that the bear "came up and got real close, at that point it seems to me it was a justifiable shooting." Barksdale said the physical evidence reflects that, too. Barksdale said it is unclear if the bear was charging Meade when he shot it. Mark Bruscino, bear management officer with the Game and Fish Department, said the bear had been removed from an area around Cody where a person was feeding it for several nights. Because it was the grizzly's first involvement with people, managers decided to relocate the bear. It's possible the bear was looking for a food reward from the camper or from Meade, Bruscino said. It had been collared, but the collar fell off. With delisting of the grizzly in April, unless lawsuits result in restoration of federal protection for the bear, grizzly shootings in the greater Yellowstone area will be managed by state wildlife agencies. Brian DeBolt, bear management specialist with Game and Fish, said his agency treats every investigation the same, and some cases are "bona fide self-defense." Those will not result in charges. There are other cases of mistaken identity, which is like shooting a moose and mistaking it for an elk, he said. That generally results in a fine. And there are other questionable cases, such as if a bear is shot at a great distance or shot from behind. DeBolt said there have only been a few cases like that. Penalties for taking an animal without a license -- the charge for cases of mistaken identity -- includes fines ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 and up to six months in jail, DeBolt said. Federal penalties for violating the Endangered Species Act carry up to a $25,000 fine and six months in jail. A fine enhancement law passed by Congress could push that number up to $100,000 in some cases. No hunting season yet exists for grizzlies, though Game and Fish plans to establish one in coming years. An off-duty Sublette County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a grizzly bear in the Big Sandy area of the Wind River Mountains over Memorial Day weekend. The hunter, Richard Kaumo of Marbleton, was issued a citation by Game and Fish for taking a trophy game animal out of season. He was hunting black bears and apparently thought the grizzly was a black bear. |
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| Author: | DeanC [ Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:04 pm ] |
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Quote: "He wasn't coming for my autograph." Classic
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| Author: | jdege [ Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:51 pm ] |
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DeanC wrote: Quote: "He wasn't coming for my autograph." Classic When my Bear comes running up to you, he's just looking to play: 
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| Author: | hammAR [ Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:18 pm ] |
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So it's 21 ft for a man and 23 yds for a bear................ I don't know if I will keep this straight......... 
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| Author: | ttousi [ Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:35 pm ] |
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hammAR wrote: So it's 21 ft for a man and 23 yds for a bear................ I don't know if I will keep this straight......... . Just make sure you add a tape measure to your utility belt 
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| Author: | DieselDood [ Sat Jul 21, 2007 4:14 pm ] |
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hammAR wrote: So it's 21 ft for a man and 23 yds for a bear................ I don't know if I will keep this straight......... . Well thinking about it, since Grizzly Bears can get up over 30mph at a dead sprint.... 23 yards isn't far! 
Here's a video I found on YouTube of a bear running down a heard of sheep! <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UaEbnd3VPLc"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UaEbnd3VPLc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> |
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