http://www.standardspeaker.com/news/gam ... r-1.471742
click to see the pix of this monster!
Game Commission claims man illegally harvested record bear
BY BOB KALINOWSKI (STAFF WRITER)
Published: December 9, 2009
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Bob Kalinowski/Staff Photographer Game Commission Supervisor Peter Sussenbach is shown with a 707-pound black bear bagged by Bear Creek resident Charles Olson Jr. in Noxen Township. Olson is accused of baiting the bear with pastries, which is illegal.
A Bear Creek Township man's record bear hunting harvest may be going on his criminal record.
Charles Olson Jr. recently bagged a 707-pound black bear in Wyoming County, the largest of the 3,036 bears harvested in Pennsylvania during the state's bear season.
But Pennsylvania Game Commission officials say he cheated.
They say Olson, 38, baited the bear with pastries, which constitutes illegal poaching in Pennsylvania.
"It takes away any kind of fair chase," Dan Figured, law enforcement supervisor for the Game Commission's Northeast Region, said. "What is most unfortunate is that law-abiding bear hunters in the area were robbed of the opportunity to legally harvest truly a trophy bear."
Figured says Olson will be charged with using unlawful hunting methods and devices, and unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife.
Game Commission officials say Olson was under suspicion well before he brought the mammoth animal to the agency's regional bear check station in Dallas on Nov. 25.
A week before bear season opened, Wildlife Conservation Officer Cory Bentzoni spotted him traveling through Dallas with a large quantity of pastries in the bed of his pickup truck, officials said.
"Being that we were so close to bear season, seeing that person drive by with an unusual amount of pastries was like watching an individual go down a row of parked vehicles testing each handle to see if it were open. Something just didn't seem right," Bentzoni said.
Bentzoni jotted down Olson's license plate number, learned his identity and advised check stations to notify him if Olson came in with a bear.
Authorities said that as soon as Olson was questioned, he admitted he killed the bear over a bait pile in Noxen Township. Game Commission members then seized the bear as evidence.
On Tuesday, Olson's father, Charles Sr., said his son disputes the allegations and has gotten a lawyer. He said Olson was at work.
"That bear was never killed over a bait pile. He is disappointed. This is his first big bear and they take it off him," Charles Sr. said.
State law says hunters are not allowed to bait any wildlife in Pennsylvania except for coyotes, Figured said.
Game Commission officials said they will seek a three-year suspension of Olson's hunting privileges. He faces a fine of between $500 and $1,500 and could be forced to pay up to $5,000 in restitution for illegally killing a trophy-class bear.
Figured said the bear that was killed was trapped and tagged in July for research purposes. It weighed about 300 pounds at the time, he said.
While the current size was unusually large, Figured said it is common for bears to put on massive amounts of weight leading up to winter. That's why some hunters try to bait them with fattening and calorie-rich foods, like pastries, Figured said.
"When September comes around, they are trying to put on as much calories as possible. Bears eat anything from ants to roadkill," Figured said. "This bear was not the largest ever, but a 700-pound black bear is comparable to an inland brown bear or grizzly bear in the states that have them, like Alaska."
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com
PA Game Commission claims man illegally harvested record bea
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Re: PA Game Commission claims man illegally harvested record bea
another story, this one a column
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... s-trouble/
By Gene Mueller
When is the shooting of a 707-pound black bear - easily as big as many inland Alaskan grizzlies - nothing to be proud of? When the gargantuan bruin is shot illegally.
It happened recently in Luzerne County, Pa.
An astute game warden (Keystoners call them wildlife commission officers) noticed a truck that was loaded with pastries from a local store. The officer, Cory Bentzoni, became suspicious: Who would need a truckload of pastries a week before the opening of bear hunting season?
It isn't only Jellystone Park's Yogi Bear who has a sweet tooth; black bears readily beat a path to tasty treats, and the man who had a truck bed filled with pastries knew he probably could lure a bear to the sweet bait, making it easy to bag a trophy. By the way, bear baiting is illegal in Pennsylvania.
But the culprit, Charles W. Olsen Jr. of Wilkes-Barre, didn't figure on the tenacity of Bentzoni, who wrote down the license plate number of the truck, identified the plate's owner, then instructed all fellow officers in the region to let him know whether someone with those tag numbers checked in a bear - any bear.
Olsen soon showed up at a bear check station with the astonishing 707-pounder and was told, There might be a problem with this bear. Olsen folded like a leaky tent. He confessed he shot the bear over a pile of bait in Noxen Township in Wyoming County. He was arrested and, if found guilty, faces fines and penalties up to $1,500 and the loss of his hunting license for three years. On top of that, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will request restitution for the trophy-class bear, which can amount to $5,000.
All this carrying of suspicious cargo reminds me of a Kentucky acquaintance who once was stopped by a Tennessee state trooper. The cop noticed that the tarp-covered pickup truck he was driving was so heavily loaded that the cargo bed almost rubbed the tops of the tires.
What are you carrying in that truck? the trooper asked. Sugar, answered my pal with whom I had hunted in years gone by.
Sugar? What for? came the reply.
The Kentuckian said, My mama is fixin' to put up a bunch of peaches, and she told me to get her the sugar.
The incredulous highway patrolman said, She's putting up peaches in February?
My pal said, When my mother says she's puttin' up peaches, I don't argue with her.
The trooper followed the Kentuckian to the state line, then watched him cross over and head into the hills. To be sure, there was a moonshine still waiting for the sugar.
Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show - One of the biggest hunting, fishing and camping shows anywhere, the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa., will have its yearly run Feb. 6-14. This show is a favorite for quite a few Washingtonians and suburbanites.
The show attracts outdoor sports enthusiasts from all over to view the latest hunting and fishing products, plan or book hunting and fishing trips, shop for the best bargains and look at boats, RV and all-terrain vehicles. This year, there will be 1,100 exhibitors, including 500 outfitters from around the world.
In addition, there will be seminars conducted by nationally known hunters and fishermen. The general hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - except on the last day, when it ends at 5 p.m. Admission is $12 ($5 for children). For more information, go to easternsportshow.com.
c Look for Gene Mueller's Outdoors column Sunday and Wednesday and his Fishing Report on Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com. Mueller's Inside Outside blog can be found at www.washingtontimes.com/sports.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... s-trouble/
By Gene Mueller
When is the shooting of a 707-pound black bear - easily as big as many inland Alaskan grizzlies - nothing to be proud of? When the gargantuan bruin is shot illegally.
It happened recently in Luzerne County, Pa.
An astute game warden (Keystoners call them wildlife commission officers) noticed a truck that was loaded with pastries from a local store. The officer, Cory Bentzoni, became suspicious: Who would need a truckload of pastries a week before the opening of bear hunting season?
It isn't only Jellystone Park's Yogi Bear who has a sweet tooth; black bears readily beat a path to tasty treats, and the man who had a truck bed filled with pastries knew he probably could lure a bear to the sweet bait, making it easy to bag a trophy. By the way, bear baiting is illegal in Pennsylvania.
But the culprit, Charles W. Olsen Jr. of Wilkes-Barre, didn't figure on the tenacity of Bentzoni, who wrote down the license plate number of the truck, identified the plate's owner, then instructed all fellow officers in the region to let him know whether someone with those tag numbers checked in a bear - any bear.
Olsen soon showed up at a bear check station with the astonishing 707-pounder and was told, There might be a problem with this bear. Olsen folded like a leaky tent. He confessed he shot the bear over a pile of bait in Noxen Township in Wyoming County. He was arrested and, if found guilty, faces fines and penalties up to $1,500 and the loss of his hunting license for three years. On top of that, the Pennsylvania Game Commission will request restitution for the trophy-class bear, which can amount to $5,000.
All this carrying of suspicious cargo reminds me of a Kentucky acquaintance who once was stopped by a Tennessee state trooper. The cop noticed that the tarp-covered pickup truck he was driving was so heavily loaded that the cargo bed almost rubbed the tops of the tires.
What are you carrying in that truck? the trooper asked. Sugar, answered my pal with whom I had hunted in years gone by.
Sugar? What for? came the reply.
The Kentuckian said, My mama is fixin' to put up a bunch of peaches, and she told me to get her the sugar.
The incredulous highway patrolman said, She's putting up peaches in February?
My pal said, When my mother says she's puttin' up peaches, I don't argue with her.
The trooper followed the Kentuckian to the state line, then watched him cross over and head into the hills. To be sure, there was a moonshine still waiting for the sugar.
Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show - One of the biggest hunting, fishing and camping shows anywhere, the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pa., will have its yearly run Feb. 6-14. This show is a favorite for quite a few Washingtonians and suburbanites.
The show attracts outdoor sports enthusiasts from all over to view the latest hunting and fishing products, plan or book hunting and fishing trips, shop for the best bargains and look at boats, RV and all-terrain vehicles. This year, there will be 1,100 exhibitors, including 500 outfitters from around the world.
In addition, there will be seminars conducted by nationally known hunters and fishermen. The general hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - except on the last day, when it ends at 5 p.m. Admission is $12 ($5 for children). For more information, go to easternsportshow.com.
c Look for Gene Mueller's Outdoors column Sunday and Wednesday and his Fishing Report on Thursday, only in The Washington Times. E-mail: gmueller@washingtontimes.com. Mueller's Inside Outside blog can be found at www.washingtontimes.com/sports.
esp