Quote:
Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
Derek Sutton already touched on it, but I don't understand why this is a controversy.
I'm a hunter, but I have no desire to hunt bears, it's just not something that appeals to me. But the fact of the matter is,Stonder didn't do anything illegal.
If you're opposed to hunting bears, then make your case based on the facts, don't try to spin a "famous" person following the regulations laid out for hunting, to make it look like he is doing something seedy.
What we have here is a case of a group that is opposed to a lawful activity, so they describe it in such a way so as to make it sound like Stoner did something terrible.
The facts of the matter are:
1) The area was not closed to trophy hunting. A group doesn't like trophy hunting, and doesn't want it happeing in a certain area, but they have ZERO authority to make that decision
2) The part about the carcas being left to rot is irrelevant. The law does not require a hunter to use the meat. For most species it is illegal to waste the meat (deer, moose, elk, etc), for predators (bears, cougars, etc) it is illegal to waste the hide. Some hunters do keep/eat bear meat, but it isn't required, and Stonder didn't do anything illegal with how he handled the bear after he shot it.
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Good post.
One clarification: In BC, hunters are required to take edible parts from a bear kill, if it's a black bear. If it's a grizzly, the entire carcass can be left behind. Whatever the bear type, the hide must always be taken. And gall bladders must be left behind, always, to help prevent poaching. Them's the rules, in BC.
BTW the photos of Stoner with the dead bear were shot by a First Nations member who was on scene but not involved in the hunt. The photos *somehow* ended up with the Vancouver Sun, which broke the story on Tuesday. A FN group opposed to trophy hunting held a press conference in Vancouver on Wednesday, and screened a documentary film that had footage of the Stoner kill. The group denied leaking the photos to the Sun.