Man accused of shooting Grizzly near BC fishing lodge

[Paulyman]

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Hunter+accused+shooting+grizzly+bear+near+Vancouve r+Island+lodge/6722643/story.html

[Phreddy]

I read it this morning and put my comments there. For one thing, I suggested that they need to not use the term "hunter" in describing the crap head responsible. The man was NOT a hunter.

[boxhitch]

So at what point did he stop being a hunter ?
He's not the first or last hunter to not find a wounded animal, if in fact it was wounded at all.

[TrackerJ]

The only thing he's surely guilty of is being a terrible shot and bad at tracking. Apart from that he may not have broken any laws here. It does sound like a shitty place to be hunting grizzly though. The press loves to spin a story a certain way to make it worth publishing so Who knows how big of an idiot this guy is or isn't.

[Husky7mm]

Bla bla bla..... I bet the "hunter" has a different story on how it went down, and this artical reeks of bias anyways

[Jonas111]

Bla bla bla..... I bet the "hunter" has a different story on how it went down, and this artical reeks of bias anyways

X2. I've seen it too many times, trying to make hunters look bad.

[Banjo]

He was shooting a mama bear....
he was shooting in in the general direction of a movement.....

What article we're they reading!? :-? Gotta love those Vancouver Sun comments

[RENO]

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Hunter+accused+shooting+grizzly+bear+near+Vancouve r+Island+lodge/6722643/story.html

Just read your post, interesting and thanks for posting, The comments at the bottom of both articles were equally stunning! I would like to say, it amazes me how many people (non hunters) have so much to say about something they know nothing about or have never participated. remarks like barbaric, should be banned and make more money by viewing? has anyone ever written a letter to the so called expert reporters and set the record straight? I am really getting sick of these idiots, from gun crimes to shooting up some bush area and leaving there spent casings about, and blasting the crap out of garbage, as well as the guys we had a few years ago shooting deer , with crossbows and leaving them laying on peoples lawns, the guy mistook the ladies dog for a wolf, and now showing up at a fishing resort and wanting to shoot bears? WTF ! These are the ones giving Hunters a bad rap, and they need to be singled out and reported! I have even wondered if some kind of graduated/mentoring perhaps could be added to our CORE program, and also make it mandatory to be a member of a gun club, to instill some strong ethics afield? The media though is my biggest beef as they never ask, citizens that hunt what they think of these situations, and what we think of these people that just because they have passed the course and have purchased a firearm "have the balls to call themselves Hunters"! as far as I am concerned until they have put their time in and conducted themselves as responsible and ethical hunters they as just an idiot with a firearm abusing the privilege . just my thoughts.

[Jelvis]

Some people see a rifle with a big scope and get veddy scared, some do some don't.
I don't. A bow with an arrow cocked makes me wary tho.
I cover my rifle when I go out of the house and into the vehicle now.
Jel .. It's a fearful world we are living in .. BOO! Got yah haha.

[Walkntalk]

Despite the media spin on the story, it sounds like he may have been acting legaly. It also sounds like he may have looked around and attempted the track. It DOESN'T sound like he looked very hard, but then I don't trust the media at all, and it DEFINITELY DOESN't sound like he had anything else, but crap for brains ...

If the resort owners asked you nicely NOT to hunt right on their doorstep, why not give them the common courtesy of hunting somewhere else? It may be a honey hole, but you've just guaranteed yourself some bad press and a bunch of hunter haters for life. This is how the 'anti' crowd get there ammo. They don't need a PALS and jack-asses like this give it to'em for free. Nice job buddy!

[boxhitch]

If the resort owners asked you nicely NOT to hunt right on their doorstep,Do you really assume that is how the conversation went ?
Its a news story, story being the key word.

[Caribou_lou]

These lodge owners have educated these bears. If they should be upset with anyone it should be themselves! Hunter was legal as far as Im concerned. Was even polite enough to ask. would love to hear his side of the story!

[RENO]

These lodge owners have educated these bears. If they should be upset with anyone it should be themselves! Hunter was legal as far as Im concerned. Was even polite enough to ask. would love to hear his side of the story!

x2 I would love to hear his story as well, just finished reading the remarks on the Sun and Times Communist and the editor of this story in Victoria has a real H on for hunters, this is not the first I have read from her, and they are all the same as they are one sided stories ,Her's and seems she knows how to stir the pot to get others going on this topic. but never a word from the other side to make the story worthy of the report.

[Peter Pepper]

Sooo this G bear is still up for grabs eh? Now all know a good hunting spot in Forward Harbour! Yay

[The Dude]

Legal or not, the guy's an idiot. Grizz are a hot button issue now, and to hunt one around a Tourist Lodge was a bad mistake.
Don't defend this a-hole. He just hurt us all, very deeply.

[RENO]

Legal or not, the guy's an idiot. Grizz are a hot button issue now, and to hunt one around a Tourist Lodge was a bad mistake.
Don't defend this a-hole. He just hurt us all, very deeply.
Full agreement! these are the kind of that by doing these stupid stunts, give the people something to complain about and reporters froth at the mouth to print, and make us look bad because "Hunter" is used. We need to distance our selves from these kind of guys and expose them , they are as much Hunters as punks trashing parks are campers!

[Walking Buffalo]

Legal or not, the guy's an idiot. Grizz are a hot button issue now, and to hunt one around a Tourist Lodge was a bad mistake.
Don't defend this a-hole. He just hurt us all, very deeply.


I don't buy that conclusion at all. The hunter was acting within his and your rights to hunt on crown land.

Are you going to turn tail from every place that a non-hunter wishes you not to hunt in, or any place that the non-hunting public may witness a hunt in process? As time goes by, who will get squeezed out of this picture due to a "hot button" concern?

IMO, it's better to stand up for your right to hunt, every time.

[RENO]

This is true and you have a point, but the problem is BAD reporting (he said she said), and it's all one sided, that's not a story and all the facts are not there, are we even sure there was a hunter??? no pic/vid/script didn't happen! if there was a hunter and he was on crown land more than 100 meters away than WTF! the lodge owner and his 80 year old parents, are quite the little reports, sounds like they heard some shots and figured with this always a hot topic and eagerness for reporter's to print this crap, they would report it.
Maybe, they are worried that if the grizz are scared off , no tourists and no $$$ for them, so lets protect our investment and create a story??? never know.

[Banjo]

a 500kg grizzly....?! Can this be true?

[RENO]

500 kilograms = 1 102.31131 pounds,

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/grzzlybear.pdf

[mijinkal]

I wonder if there ever was a hunter there in the first place. The lodge owners might be just spreading propaganda.

If there was a hunter, I'm shure he/she has a side of the story that I'd love to hear.

[RENO]

Exactly! anything else is a bullshit story!

[Banjo]

[QUOTE=RENO;1158860]500 kilograms = 1 102.31131 pounds,

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/grzzlybear.pdf



InBritish Columbia, springweights of adult Grizzly Bearsaverage around 220 kg (480 lb.)





so it might be a little huge fior the season

[Phreddy]

Amen Reno.


Just read your post, interesting and thanks for posting, The comments at the bottom of both articles were equally stunning! I would like to say, it amazes me how many people (non hunters) have so much to say about something they know nothing about or have never participated. remarks like barbaric, should be banned and make more money by viewing? has anyone ever written a letter to the so called expert reporters and set the record straight? I am really getting sick of these idiots, from gun crimes to shooting up some bush area and leaving there spent casings about, and blasting the crap out of garbage, as well as the guys we had a few years ago shooting deer , with crossbows and leaving them laying on peoples lawns, the guy mistook the ladies dog for a wolf, and now showing up at a fishing resort and wanting to shoot bears? WTF ! These are the ones giving Hunters a bad rap, and they need to be singled out and reported! I have even wondered if some kind of graduated/mentoring perhaps could be added to our CORE program, and also make it mandatory to be a member of a gun club, to instill some strong ethics afield? The media though is my biggest beef as they never ask, citizens that hunt what they think of these situations, and what we think of these people that just because they have passed the course and have purchased a firearm "have the balls to call themselves Hunters"! as far as I am concerned until they have put their time in and conducted themselves as responsible and ethical hunters they as just an idiot with a firearm abusing the privilege . just my thoughts.

[Caribou_lou]

Whoever draws this area next year has an idea of where to go!

[Walkntalk]

Great thread! Enjoying it more and more! Have to say, not a post I have disagreed with yet, well, for the most part. Guaranteed, that all involved had special interests. Given, that media in BC are left leaning and skew any story to suit there point of view and to create controversy. That's how they make their $$. Sometimes it works for you (a-la Fireguy & the lake clean-up, good on ye' once again BTW), sometimes against you, like we are seeing now (and most of the time, unfortunately). Guess we all just have to do tour best to manage that 'bad' press. Sounds like this guy was probably legal (if he ever existed, as pointed out), but not the best choice. If you are going to hunt regardless, why even ask the question? Too easy to find another spot and save us all the press. That said, hunters have rights too, the question is ... by flexing those muscles too hard in another's face, are we liable to be shackled even more and loose some more of those rights? Before you pull that trigger, be sure of your target and what's beyond it, including the bad press.

[srupp]

too much potential for conflict of interest to believe either side w/o collaborating evidence...Im not sure where this is??? however IF it is interior probably exagerated by 2x..for size..IF coastal probably 250 #s over however the whole story seems wacked..BUT POSSIBLE...

If public land ie crown with a tag during open season and outside the boundries for buildings in the area..it certainly would be legal???and a safe shot lane and back drop...TOUGH if the owners personaly dont agree with it...IMO..

cheers

Srupp

[Walkntalk]

Another good post is "12 month open season of moose!!"

Wonder how the story would read if the media got a hold of an incident like that!?

[rem338win]

As hunters we need to be responsible with the image that we leave in the mind of observers. I don't understand the man asking for "permission" and when asked not to go ahead, ignores the request. Poor form really.

And with an audience, he made shots that are obviously outside of his skill set on an animal that is controversial at best and created this maelstrom. Then, from the articles account, made a lame attempt at recovering or following up on a "wounded" animal. Really this man has done us no favors, and if you are reading this, I hope you understand the political damage you have done. You have painted all of us with shame at this point, and though I doubt legal action will be taken against you, you have given significant ammunition to the antis in an area predominantly anti. Slow clap for you, but I guess we all need a clown at times.

And I question what his plan was if he was successful. If this was a 1000lbs bear as described, was he going to leave that carcass there? He was in a kayak for goodness sakes. So great, a carcass outside the door of the people he just thumbed his nose at as a reminder of his ignorance. The concern is of course him approaching the lodge as if he cared, then showing pompous disregard for them. Marked us all as jackasses I say.

[rem338win]

I don't buy your story either.
Approach the lodge and explain your a license holder for a grizzly, that grizzly in question is on crown land, you intend to hunt it. If they argue, explain that you have that right and you intend to excercise it responsibly.
Then make damn sure you kill that griz humanely, as you have an audience, and show as much respect as possible to both the animal and the people watching.
If the man did this, and the paper is abusing their audience, that I congratulate him. But, myself, I would have found another option.

[russm]

Where did you guys see the comments from readers?

[Moose Guide]

I don't buy your story either.
Approach the lodge and explain your a license holder for a grizzly, that grizzly in question is on crown land, you intend to hunt it. If they argue, explain that you have that right and you intend to excercise it responsibly.
Then make damn sure you kill that griz humanely, as you have an audience, and show as much respect as possible to both the animal and the people watching.
If the man did this, and the paper is abusing their audience, that I congratulate him. But, myself, I would have found another option.

You do realize that he may have asked to hunt it on lodge property and when he was refused he simply waited till it was on crown land before he hunted it! Really his only mistake is shooting poorly infront of an audience! I have shot poorly enough times that I won't condemn him for it! If we back off from hunting where we legaly can, soon hunting will be private land only!

[Banjo]

Where did you guys see the comments from readers?

Looks like the comments have been removed whichis too bad....definitely worth a laugh

[RENO]

Was thinking about this story today and talking to my girlfriend about it , this is what was the result, thought I would add, 1. the story is titled Man accused of shooting Grizzly near BC fishing lodge.( so if he is accused that would imply to me that you have a person in custody,charged, or a name a physical person)? but no name or person seems to exist, and his side of the story or comment?
2. The apparent imaginary hunter, is accused at shooting a grizzly( this would imply he killed it?) but no dead Gbear, it should be easy to find a 500kg G ? or hit a target that big, but the bear returns, to play on the beach. So no dead bear?
3. so what's the problem here!? a legal hunter firing two shots on crown land should be fine!
unless!
But for one thing!, there is a business, being run as a fishing lodge and bear viewing area. hunting near their business area would scare the bears away and they, would lose $$$. so an exaggerated story, on a hot button topic, would be enough to draw attention to their little business and blame the big bad hunter.
The reporter, for the times columnist, wrote a story that, I posted a while back on deer and deer cull in Victoria and is a true anti gun/hunting activist, as far as I can see by her articles, I always thought that, a good reporter should be bias to stories in order to report the true facts, but not true, as they hire people as columnists to seek out stories, it seems that, they are passionately against personally and exploit and stretch the point to their own satisfaction.
sounds like the place to pop a 1,100 pound G bear !

[boxhitch]

The story said the hunter went into the bush and a couple of shots were heard
Not much for witnesses there
I call BS

[b.c hunter 88]

i call bs too it dont add up to me

[hunterdon]

"Chris Genovali, executive director of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, said coastal grizzlies are often sitting targets.Allowing the hunt "is not only anachronistic from a wildlife management perspective, it is ethically deplorable as well," he said."Killing these magnificent animals for sport, trophy and profit has no place in today's society."


This should have no place in this story. It most certainly makes for a bias report and it is the most damaging to all hunters. I'll reserve any other comments until the rcmp investigation is complete.

[The Dude]

I don't buy that conclusion at all. The hunter was acting within his and your rights to hunt on crown land.

Are you going to turn tail from every place that a non-hunter wishes you not to hunt in, or any place that the non-hunting public may witness a hunt in process? As time goes by, who will get squeezed out of this picture due to a "hot button" concern?

IMO, it's better to stand up for your right to hunt, every time.

Well then, we disagree for once. You gotta choose your battles. If you don't think this is a war WB, then you have some more reading to do. There are tens of thousands of sq kms to hunt in, without attracting the attention and ire of a fishing ( also greenie bear watching?) lodge. I stand by my opinion, the guy is an a-hole that hurt us.
As a caveat, I would say this would be a great stunt for some radical bunnyhuggers to play to incite anti-hunting fervour in the Province. It was just that stupid.
We'll see what happens.

[hunter1947]

This hunter did have an LEH tag by the sounds of it and did shoot at the bear on crown land not private property and sounds like the hunter was border line to the buildings ???.

To me there are two stories one from the paper the other from the hunter will be interesting to see what the end results are ??? ,My thoughts are that any hunter that has any kind of brains would not shoot at any animal this close to the lodge..

[steel_ram]

It's no different than driving up behind some family on their Sunday drive, who are stopped enjoying watching a beautiful moose, and then you shooting it because it's legal. There are other user groups that are just as entitled to enjoy our wildlife, in their own way.

[Mulehahn]

I agree the was a hunter should have maybe moved up the coast a little. But that being said, if I knew a thousand pound grizzly was going to be on the same peice of crown land every day and I had a tag for him, I would be reluctant to move on to a bear that is probably only 600 pounds at best. Who can honestly say they would? But you really shouldn't miss a bear that big from 100 yards with two shots. The story doesn't add up. Also, it seems convenient that a bear that large just keeps coming right in front of the resort and only leaves when new guests arrive. To me, this means that the new guests have not had a chance to go out and catch some more bear bait (err, I mean salmon). The story doesn't add up. If any thing the hunter did them a favour. It worries me that these people can have a lodge set up so close to where these bears come everyday and have tourists who probably have no idea how to behave near a bear, let alone a large male g-bear or a female with cubs strolling around taking pictures. This is a recipe for disaster. The article says rustic cabins, so probably out houses. What happens when that 1000 pounder and a tourist are on the same path in the middle of the night. Tourist probably runs and the bear does what bears do, gives chase, out of curiosity or what ever, but the bear still loses and no one benefits. Not the resort (bad press), not the environment (one less king), no taxidermy, etc.

[rem338win]

Well then, we disagree for once. You gotta choose your battles. If you don't think this is a war WB, then you have some more reading to do. There are tens of thousands of sq kms to hunt in, without attracting the attention and ire of a fishing ( also greenie bear watching?) lodge. I stand by my opinion, the guy is an a-hole that hurt us.
As a caveat, I would say this would be a great stunt for some radical bunnyhuggers to play to incite anti-hunting fervour in the Province. It was just that stupid.
We'll see what happens.

That is exactly the problem; it is as much an issue for twisted perception, as actual.