Troopers, onlookers witness roadside bear kill
By Jenny Neyman
Redoubt Reporter
Photo provided - A sub-adult male brown bear climbs the embankment toward the Sterling Highway and two Alaska State Troopers. Witnesses allege that two men in camouflage shot and killed the bear after it crossed the road.
They got a far more disturbing show than they ever wanted.
The family headed out from Sterling toward Cooper Landing, and came upon a group of cars and people alongside the road before the Russian River Ferry.
Parking with the other vehicles in a nearby pullout, they walked to the guardrail to see a sub-adult, male brown bear in the river below the embankment. He didn’t seem too concerned with the people – maybe 10 or 12 ranging in age 4 years old to adult, Locke estimated.
“The bear was kind of complacent,” she said. “He was lying down over a big stump. He didn’t mind people.”
The family continued on to Cooper Landing for lunch, and were headed home around 2:30 p.m. when they passed the same spot and saw cars and people still there.
“We were like, ‘Oh, he’s still there,’” Locke said. “So we stopped. He was swimming and fishing.”
An Alaska State Trooper patrol car was on the scene, and troopers cautioned people not to park or stand on the road.
After 15 or 20 minutes, the bear started heading up the embankment toward the guardrail, so onlookers started heading back to their vehicles.
Locke said she was surprised to see the troopers staying up by the guardrail.
“They were mostly concerned about people not stopping on the highway,” she said. “They didn’t seem concerned about people stopping to watch the bear.”
Locke said she could hear the bear sniffing and grunting at the troopers, and wondered if they were trying to keep the bear from getting up on the road.
Around that time, another vehicle parked in the pullout and two men in camouflage and with hunting rifles got out and started heading toward the bear.
“At first I thought, ‘Well, they’re being cautious.’ Then I realized they’re wearing full camo,” Locke said. “The lady walking with me stopped them and said, ‘You’re not going to shoot that bear, are you?’ They were kind of smiling and laughing and said, ‘Yeah we are, if it crosses the highway.’”
Locke said the troopers didn’t stop the men for questioning.
“They didn’t question them. They didn’t ask for a license. They didn’t say, ‘Hey, it probably isn’t the best situation to shoot this bear on a busy corner of the highway with all these people still there.’ They just let them go,” Locke said.
Trooper Garrett Willis, stationed in Cooper Landing, had responded to a report of traffic hazards in the area Saturday afternoon.
“We were just traffic control,” Willis said. “Our initial complaint was people parked in a no-parking area and parking over the white line, causing vehicles to take evasive action, because it was on a blind corner.”
Willis said the hunters did say they had a permit, and as far as he knew, the area across the highway was open to hunting.
“Once that bear crossed the road, that was a legitimate hunting area over there. I could not restrict them. If I was to stop them for shooting, then I’d be interfering in a lawful hunt. That’s why I could not stop them,” Willis said.
As the bear started running up the embankment on the other side of the highway, the men ran after it.
“They got to the edge of the highway,” Locke said. “The bear had run partway up the hill and they opened fire on his backside.”
Locke said she would concede that the initial shooter was technically off the highway – albeit about an inch – when he started firing.
She doesn’t concede the shooters were off the road when they finished firing.
The men hit the bear twice in the backside, and it rolled down the hill to the side of the highway.
“He wasn’t dead at that point, with all of us standing there with a wounded brown bear on the highway,” Locke said.
She said it did look like the men fired the last two shots to finish the bear off from the road.
“My husband said they were clearly standing on the highway when they fired those last two shots,” she said. “They had to be, since it rolled up toward them and they had to step back.”
The troopers got into their patrol car to leave after the bear was dead, Locke said. She flagged them down.
“I said, ‘You’re just going to let them shoot from the damn highway?’ They said, ‘Ma’am, they’re not on the highway,’ and he took off. He didn’t want to discuss it any further,” Locke said,
She and her family had seen more than enough at that point and left, too.
“I just left. I didn’t want to see any more. I don’t have any idea how they got that bear in their vehicle. They either had to park their vehicle up on the road right where the troopers didn’t want anybody to park, or they had to drag it up the highway. The whole thing was so weird to me. I was kind of in shock. I just wanted to get out of there. There’s a whole spectrum of levels on which it was just not right.”
Locke questions the safety of shooting from that area, especially with people standing nearby to witness it and who could have been in danger from a wounded bear if the hunters didn’t finish it off. She also questions whether what the men did even qualifies as hunting.
“It was like you could have been wearing a clown suit and shot this bear. It was not a hunt,” she said. “I equate it to shoving my way through a zoo and shooting a bear in a cage.
“I’m just disgusted at the whole situation. My family supports ethical hunting, but this is anything but sportsmanlike. And any decent hunter knows if you don’t have a clean shot you don’t shoot. It took at least five shots to put it down, aiming up the hill while it was running away. And the response of the officers. I would have expected more out of the patrolmen. The whole situation was just extremely distasteful, to say the least,” Locke said.
Larry Lewis, a wildlife technician with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Soldotna, said he got a call about the incident Monday morning, and said it is under investigation. Because of that, he couldn’t comment on the situation.
He did say that Fish and Game regulations prohibit shooting from on or across a roadway. He said there also is a state statute that prohibits discharging a firearm from within a state highway right of way. There’s also a federal regulation stating you can’t discharge a firearm within a quarter mile of the highway on either side of the road in effect from the east end of Skilak Lake Road and the Russian River parking lot.
“Alaska is a great state because we have lots of choices for outdoor activities,” Locke said. “But those of us who had to witness this, our choice was taken away. We didn’t want to be involved in this.”
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Posted by Newsroom on Oct 7th, 2009 and filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Posted by Newsroom on Oct 7th, 2009 and filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
16 Responses for “Troopers, onlookers witness roadside bear kill”
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I witnessed the above incident. I am the one who contacted Mr. Lewis from Fish and Game. I couldn’t shake this. The troopers explanation didn’t make since to me. We almost wrecked coming around the corner, not a minute later…the “hunters” in full camo opened fire. I was DISGUSTED to say the least. That is NOT hunting. I yelled at the men out my window and they didn’t even blink. I can tell you that they lost there bear and are being cited for 3 things. I am not sure of what. .How could anyone call that hunting? On a highway? A bear that was being “viewed” my numerous people at the time?? Pamela, I too see the haunting images.
Haunting????? You have lived a bit of a soft life haven’t you?
Waa
Hunting is hunting ,the highway”Sterling”was most likely a game trail before a vehicle rode. Alaska love it or leave it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alaska is one of the rare places you can actually encounter a special occasion as the mighty brown bear basking in a stream of fish. I believe that is what many people love about Alaska and why we are so proud to claim it as our home. However, hunting is a way of life for many residents, I respect the dream of living off the land. There is a time and place for it….this was not the time or place with many admiring fans gloriously admiring the special gift placed in front of them. I feel the men involved have no respect for any living creatures except themselves. I am afraid that people like that will eventually destroy what we love so much about Alaska.
The big issue is if they where the required 1/4 (I thought it was 1/2 myself) mile off the road. And if they weren’t and troopers were present, they should have been cited on the spot. All troopers are supposed to enforce laws, not just the brownshirts. If they were are some reports have it within feet of the highway then the lack of action by the blueshirts needs to be investigated.
And they should face federal charges since it was on the refuge. Fish and Feathers has a law enforcement function also.
The act of hunting a bear in itself is not illegal or unethical. The fact it was witnesses is more unfortunate from a propaganda standpoint for groups like PETA who are constantly talking out of their backsides.
Any word if these guys where from the base, they seem to rack up more then their fair share of stupid hunting incidents, Like the idiots a couple of years ago who decided to go 4 wheeling off the Dalton on BLM land looking for caribou and got stuck.
Lets see, seems you desire to attempt to blame the military for this. Isn’t that a bit prejudice??? Get a life.
I say they are smart hunters, a short pack back to the truck!! Good for them and good riddance to the bear!! ; )
Well it appears the Feds did cite them for being within a 1/4 mile of the road.
From what it sounds like that is the appropriate charge, And it is approprate the feds are pushing it, it is their park.
Now if we got smart enought to kick the feds out of our home and declare ourselves the independent nation we deserve to be then it would be another story.
I would have loved to have been there. I’m a long time Alaskan and hunt with my camera. I would have kicked this guys butt, taken away his gun and stopped him from enjoying his HUNT! I could care less if a trooper was there or not, were they too scared to take action – I’m not. This is not hunting – this is BS! They should be fined double for hunting so close to the road as well as ruining it for those who were watching the bear do what he does naturally, feed. Take this dumbass’s hunting license if he’s not smart enough to see that there are all these people around that could have been hurt by his shot or by a wounded bear. Make it clear that this won’t be tollerated along the highway anywhere! Maybe a mandatory gun saftey class for this idiot too! This is not the kind of hunt you can take pride in. Stick it to him and make and example out of this behavior!
Oooohhhhh, you big bad boy…… Love it when you metrosexual’s talk the talk.
MJDUB or is that MJdumb…yeah…your right! Let’s kill every animal we come across. The world is a sorry place…all that will be left will be a bunch of inbred idiots like yourself!
Wow! Now that’s just mean! Hey Jim! Jump in your BMW drive down to the store and get an issue of “mother earth news” or whatever it is? Go to Starbucks and get an iced mocha! (you know you want it!) And then come back so we can talk like adults and not insult one another! Don’t be such a meanie!! My comments are based on experience. Would you crucify me if I shot a bull moose in my yard? Personally Im sick of people almost causing accidents by pulling over to take pictures of moose or whatever!!!! So you can indulge in a nice big smooch on my bum-bum!!! Your friend MJDUB
Oh I almost forgot!! ; )
MJDUB A few more fritos, hot dogs, velveeta & Rainer & a couple belches out your rear & maybe you, too could be a big man like those fierce hunters…..;)
Recovering Homeroid – We have free speech in this nation otherwise all you ‘Fed’ haters, baiters threatening violence & overthrowing the government, etc – I’d just use the term ‘bring em on’ – let’s see how long you idiots last against the most powerful military in the world. I don’t take it lightly when you threaten my country!
Your problem is you can’t understand normal thinking Renee. All everyone on here is doing is posting an opinion, I understand my opinion doesn’t matter to everyone. I don’t judge anybody based on their opinion, and I haven’t. You threatened recovering homeroid for what? Speaking his mind? Wow! You threatened him with the military? So I guess the freedom of speech doesn’t matter to such a “fine” American like yourself? And for the record I originally just posted my opinion, before I got insulted for it. Ya’ Nazi!