PA Game Commission claims man illegally harvested record bea
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:59 pm
http://www.standardspeaker.com/news/gam ... r-1.471742
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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
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
Font size: [A] [A] [A]
E-MAIL THIS SHARE THIS
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