Re: Bear hunting not guilty verdict in Federal Court:

This case serves as a prime example of the poaching, NOT hunting, that takes place on Tennessee's largest WMA.

The poachers were caught red handed by Law enforcement. 1 - killing a bear, 2 - in a bear reserve, 3 - out of season, 4 - without a license, 5 - with a weapon illegal and underpowered for bear hunting, and 6 - while law enforcement heard and eyewitnessed the entire event.

Case in point - Law enforcement does not have the laws in place to do its job and/or the judicial system did not work. This judgment sends a message to all the poachers that it is OK to continue to violate all the laws and continue to steal wildlife and natural resources from law abiding hunters.

Many will remember and could not forget watching the national news last summer during the tragedy endured by a family that lost their little girl on Chilhowee Mountain. Black bear experts from all over the country stated that the only way a black bear would attack in that manner is if it were starved to death or was WOUNDED. There was plenty of food in the mountains last year so that left one option - wounded.

The bear in the case discussed was shot with a .22 rifle and wounded just several miles from the attack site as the crow flies. Although there is not proof that THIS wounded bear killed the little girl, it lends testimony that we should do the best we can to put laws and enforcement in place to cut down on this type of activity.

I am in the process of contacting the Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Camo Coalition to raise their awareness and request their support on this issue. The Camo Coalition represents over 20 hunting, fishing, conservation groups that I am sure will want to support law enforcement and differeniate themselves from poachers and game violators. The general public does not always know the difference and needs to be educated as do some in the judicial system obviously.

Legal hunters have been asking for years that the bear reserve be closed to all but pointing breeds of dogs due to many incidents such as this one with the bear. The poaching doggers are using the "coon" season as an excuse to kill and run many species of big game such as deer, hog and bear, and don't think they will pass an opportunity at a turkey.

This is a PRIME example of why the "coon" season should be closed in the bear reserve. The justice system let us down though TWRA and FS did their jobs.

As primarily a "still hunter" I am tired of being given short seasons to hunt what game is holed up, run to death, wounded, etc. We are the majority, but these poachers are catered to and this verdict sends the message that is 'OK' to continue to poach as they always have.

There is plenty of WMA (hundreds of thousands of acres) north of the bear reserve that hunters can coon hunt so there should be no objection to closure of the bear reserve to hounds, pit bulls and airedales, expecially following this bear wounding. There is no good reason for them to be running in the bear reserve.

There was testimony in this case that even a $10k top coon dog treed bear on repeated occasions. That is why non pointing breeds should not be allowed in the bear reserve. It does not make any sense. These guys admittedly cannot control their dogs.

It seems some U.S. attorneys and many judges do not understand the implications of their verdicts or hunting in general. Out west and many small towns up north depend on hunting and fishing for their economies to survive. They don't play around when someone is caught poaching like this. It is not tolerated - if you are caught you pay BIG.

Surely the judge in this case did not intend to send the message that this type of illegal activity is OK, or that they want hunting of bear with .22 caliber weapons to continue?

People that love to hunt, fish, camp and hike in the outdoors come from all over the world to visit this area. Do we really want wounded black bear attacking these defenseless folks? Of course not.

Does it give hunting a bad name since non hunters don't know the differences in poaching and hunting? Yes.

Would legal hunters like to see poachers stealing the game prosecuted? Absolutely.

Sportsmen are getting the raw end of this verdict when it is all said and done.

Kevin Manning
kevin@manning-insurance.com