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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Boy shoots bear on family's porch
2009-11-17
An 11-year-old boy killed a bear at point-blank range last Wednesday night after it wouldn't leave his family's porch.

The boy was at his home near Driggs with his younger sisters and after seeing the bear on the front porch and not being able to get it to leave, the boy retrieved a gun and killed the animal.

The family declined to comment and wished to remain anonymous.
Otherwise PETA would be all over their a$$.
Fish and Game Conservation Officer Doug Petersen said the black bear had been a problem in the area near the county transfer station, and he and Fish and Game Officer Lauren Wednt had set up a trap earlier in the week.
Boy with gun: 1 Game officer with trap: 0
"The bear had been hanging around and we got multiple complaint calls," said Wendt. The bear had been getting into garbage cans and bird feeders in the area.

Petersen said officials may have had to put it down anyway. He said that in situations where the bear has been a problem around humans or threatens human safety, they usually don't issue citations.

"Human safety is a higher priority," said Petersen. "We're concerned with how bears are managed and we want to live in harmony with them."
And I'm sure the bear concurs with you.
The boy and his family are not in any trouble, and Petersen said he issued them a permit to keep the bear. Usually when a bear is put down by Fish and Game they sell the hide at a state auction, Petersen said. Petersen said the family reported the bear Thursday morning. Fish and Game trapped and euthanized another problem black bear about two weeks ago, after the bear reportedly let himself into a home. Petersen said it's normal for the animals to move from higher elevations this time of year.

"We don't like to see them down this low," said Petersen. "But it's not uncommon."
Posted by:gorb

#16  Bear wasn't called Half Empty, was it?
Posted by: rhodesiafever   2009-11-17 20:27  

#15  its sweet, rich and gamey, pretty bad really
Posted by: 746   2009-11-17 18:20  

#14  Purdy fishy with a hint of garbage around here. Unless you pen them up first - but that's kinda a hassle.
Posted by: .5MT   2009-11-17 17:37  

#13  I'd always heard it tasted like Bald Eagle
Posted by: Beavis   2009-11-17 16:14  

#12  That's not news around here. bear tastes a bit like pork.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2009-11-17 16:11  

#11  Contact China Town quick!
That freah bearpaw makes a dish they will pay a lot for.
Posted by: 3dc   2009-11-17 15:33  

#10  Can we get the boy to tell us if the bear meat is like roast beef, but stringier?
Posted by: whatadeal   2009-11-17 15:22  

#9  Glenmore - the comments under the article linked too indicate that only the bear was surprised by this encounter.

I couldn't have done this when I was eleven, but about half my friends could have, and I grew up in a tract midwestern subdivision.

Times have changed.
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division   2009-11-17 15:00  

#8  What kind of gun did he use, and what load? Seems like what he'd need to take down a bear cleanly would also likely knock him on his a** if he wasn't used to it.
Posted by: Glenmore   2009-11-17 13:14  

#7  Driggs has hit the skids with the New Economy, Jackson on the other hand is a thriving "high"income community full of heavy hitting politicos and heads of industry. come live in Idaho and quit "speculating" about the response we give bear hunters and kids who are lucky enough to get one on the front porch, it aint a big city out here.
Posted by: 746   2009-11-17 11:56  

#6  This sounds like a purely local situation - and if Driggs is anything like I remember from 20+ yrs. ago, Whiskey Mike has it right.

Now, I understand Jackson has changed a bit, so maybe they're more "concerned" in Wyoming, but hopefully Idaho F&G still has their wits about them.

Still, if this gets any media play elsewhere, city folks could show up to make trouble.

Bears are reappearing everywhere - southern Michigan, southern Ohio, New Jersey - so we might see some curious PETA actions anywhere.
Posted by: Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division   2009-11-17 11:04  

#5  Aint gonna happen in Driggs Idaho there Whiskey Mike, the operating word here being : IDAHO.
Posted by: 746   2009-11-17 10:27  

#4  Was he in his pajamas?
Posted by: SteveS   2009-11-17 09:52  

#3  In bear country, humans are not at the top of the food chain. It is important to remember this.
Posted by: Mike   2009-11-17 09:01  

#2  Poor bears need a place they can call their own, like Central Park, NYC.
Posted by: ed   2009-11-17 06:59  

#1  "He said that in situations where the bear has been a problem around humans or threatens human safety, they usually don't issue citations."

Tongue planted firmly in cheek I presume, but then, with some LE-types, you can never be sure.

And what would they do if the bear showed up in court to challenge the citation (certain lawyer types in present govt coming to mind as defense counsel).
Posted by: Whiskey Mike   2009-11-17 06:18  

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