They shot a bear today, oh boy

Well, I'm rattled.  A good-sized black bear wound up in my quiet city-centre neighbourhood, and climbed a big blue spruce in the front yard of the house on the corner.

Lots of cops arrived... the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources came along with a cage-cart... a crowd gathered.

So they darted him, he fell hard, and ran into the back yard... where he was dispatched with four shotgun blasts from the cops.

It was a sad crowd that dispersed, many in tears.

My point? I dunno. Norman Podhoretz thinks we should bomb Iran.

Any form of killing is an abomination, and those who speak so easily of such things are very sick.

•  There are lots of Sociopaths who do not have the

  balls to be serial killers.

  You just named one of them but they are all over -  especially  in Government.

  by rontripp on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:50:26 AM PDT

•  Heh

  Homer: "Let bears pay the bear tax! I pay the Homer Tax!"

  Lisa: "That's the homeowner tax."

  by droogie6655321 on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:54:06 AM PDT

•  in alabama

  it's okay to shoot the bear as long as you cook and eat him. i'm a civil rights agitator. i live 10 miles from town. if the ku klux klan shows up and i dial 911, my wife and i are dead meat. i like my gun. i also respect canadian sovereignty. i used to wait tables in florida. canadians are the only motorists in america who know how to drive. please all we ask is that you do not feed the alligators.

  if you have nothing better to do, please investigate the anti-semitism of shelton smith editor of independent baptist newspaper sword of the lord. i married into an independent baptist family, so i'm seeking absolution for my past support of these cowboys before they became nazis.

  j'espere que l'urse etait de bon gout, mon ami.

  by nickajak scalawag on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:54:48 AM PDT

•  A Place to stand...

  Apparently not so much.

  Where are you in the Big O?

  DFooK
  (Live in Oakville, slave in Malton)

  by deepfish on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:54:55 AM PDT

  •  speaking of ontario

    i grew up in the midwest and have been to border towns: sault ste marie, windsor, niagara. nice and clean, but we yanks expect exotic, canada can be less exotic than miami

    i gave to int'l rescue committee for darfur relief today. the gift was matched by canadian gov't

    que vous etes trop sympa, n'est-ce pas?

    we have religious leaders in the southeast who have a problem w/ private charity to darfur, because it competes with overfeeding the pastor.

    by nickajak scalawag on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:59:38 AM PDT

    •  You obviously...

      Have never been to Thompson Manitoba for the Raven festival, Gimli for the Icelandic Days, or Streetsville oNtario for the Bread and Honey Festival.

      Talk about exotic???

      We get that off the back of trucks up here.

      DFooK

      by deepfish on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:05:19 AM PDT

      •  heh... feckin Toban

        We used to joke that the reason Manitoba didn't have 24-cases of beer was that the Tobans needed the balance of two 12's.

        That being said, I love Winnipeg, and never grow tired of telling TO people that it's the most culturally vibrant and warm city that I know. An amazing balance you have there.

        by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:18:50 AM PDT

        •  I don't have it...

          I live in Oakville. I just spent a year in Manitoba one month.

          DFooK

          by deepfish on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:26:25 AM PDT

          •  haha

            Oakville? Well, I guess that's okay for some.

            Keep on rockin'in the GTA, my friend.

            by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:29:26 AM PDT

•  I am really sorry to hear about this bear.

  The cops sound like bloodthirsty morons.  Why am I not surprised?

  by davidseth on Wed May 30, 2007 at 10:59:41 AM PDT

  •  the right to arm bears

    if bears were allowed to carry handgun permits, this would not happen.

    by nickajak scalawag on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:00:46 AM PDT

    •  That's an old Memphis Slim tune:

      "There wouldn't be so much huntin'/If the rabbit had a gun."

      by davidseth on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:21:20 AM PDT

•  I'm in Thunder Bay

  With the wilderness close by, so these things happen.

  The house I live in was built in 1911, and still there's a forested area nearby along McVicar's Creek. (Ask me why I live here... heh.) I imagine our late friend wandered in from there.

  Man, I hate to hear shotgun blasts and watching a beautiful creature die.  I've gone soft. I used to hunt and fish and I don't anymore.

  by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:12:18 AM PDT

•  poor bear

  I am very sorry about the bear.

  ~ noweasels

  by noweasels on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:19:56 AM PDT

•  at least the poor bear

  didn't die by the use of bear-baiting and being hunted by a pack of dogs.

  by MadMs on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:36:44 AM PDT

  •  I know, I know

    Cripes, I used to work in a bakery where they'd buy the old donut grease for bait. I wouldn't even speak to the guy.

    by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:38:57 AM PDT

•  Strangely enough

  I posted not long ago about being in agreement with Stephen Colbert in that the only THREAT in my world is bears. I've been in a tent with my hand clamped on the dog's snout while one sniffed around... I've also been walking when I've seen one of those adorable cubs which only say KEEP MOVING.

  by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:37:08 AM PDT

  •  as beautiful as they are

    they scare the hell out of me.

    A few years ago while camping, and we tent camp also, I was coming back early in the morning from the store. As I was driving the campground road, I saw this big black animal walking along, wiggling his backside. Now, I thought it was a big dog, since a couple of days before I had been fooled by 2 standard size black poodles.

    So I continue driving with the windows wide open, when suddenly this animal stood straight up. To me, this bear was 20 feet tall. He looked at me, I stared back while quickly closing the windows, thanking god they were powered. Then he got back down and ran off.

    Where I spotted him, I had been hiking the day before, by myself. I was so scared I couldn't stop shaking.

    We nicknamed him Dancing Bear. We found out from the ranger he had recently been left there by mama bear, but hadn't crossed into the actual campground. Ever since when we're camping, I keep my eyes open for Dancing Bear.

    by MadMs on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:51:38 AM PDT

•  Somebody must have

  poked it.

  by phenry on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:39:36 AM PDT

  •  Scooter Libby

    is deeply fucked-up.

    by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 11:45:23 AM PDT

•  If they darted him

  why did they not then wait for him to be immobilized and move him back into the woods?

  That makes no sense to shoot him after you tranqulize him.

  Fricking people.

  by Chaoslillith on Wed May 30, 2007 at 12:11:16 PM PDT

•  Well, Idaho once again takes the prize

  for "hunter" of the year.  According to reports in the Island Park News:

  Late Saturday morning, a black bear was spotted in a tree on Aspen Ridge off Red Rock Road, and soon the highway and Red Rock Road were jammed up with slow moving traffic as people tried to see the bear.

  A hunter with a bear tag was in the traffic, and he went to his cabin, grabbed his rifle, and returned to shoot the bear.

  Island Park is just west of Yellowstone.  Bet the tourists will never forget this bear sighting.

  Sigh.  

  by martydd on Wed May 30, 2007 at 12:20:39 PM PDT

  •  Blam blam

    n/t

    by howth of murph on Wed May 30, 2007 at 12:25:09 PM PDT

•  I hate the killing, too.

  "Tree'd" ain't enough?  You gotta chase the drugged and despondent bear and blast 'im four ways to Sunday with the 12-gauge?

  "Whadda man," the men you live among!

  It's hard to be a man among such as them, huh?

  by eztempo on Fri Jun 01, 2007 at 11:10:40 PM PDT