Man charged with killing bear

Pikeville resident says he used .22, 300 magnum rifles

From staff reports
Sunday, July 20, 2008

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has charged a Pikeville, Tenn., man with killing big game out of season after he shot and killed a black bear Wednesday in Bledsoe County.

The man, Clifford Hale Jr., originally told wildlife officers the 206-pound male bear was threatening his children and livestock. An investigation by Bledsoe County Wildlife Officer Mark Patterson resulted in Hale being charged.

"He stated he first shot the bear several times with a .22 as it attempted to escape through a fence," Patterson said. "When that did not kill the animal he had his son retrieve a 300 magnum rifle and then shot the bear two more times."

Tennessee law allows landowners to kill wildlife that threaten life and general safety or if an animal is destroying property. In this case, TWRA believes Hale could have let the bear go.

"In other situations the public should contact their Regional TWRA office and allow the Agency to respond," Patterson said.

Hale has a hearing scheduled for Sept. 26 in Bledsoe County General Sessions Court.

Need more details I find a lot of CO's don't belive that a bear can be a threat. They belive the old line it is all the humans fault. Thus they charge anybody shooting a bear with hunting out of season. I seen it happen several times here in Wis.

There are some real holes in the Tennessee Willife Resources Agency (TWRA) report - such as it is. The defendant is claimed to have used a 22 -on a black bear - that was trying to escape? Who told the Agency that? The defendant? "Escape" from what? Was he given Miranda warnings before he spoke? Where did the 22 come from? Was it right at hand? If so, why did the defendant have the 22 so handy? He told his son to get his 300 Mag. and it took two shots to end the argument? The American Indians of the Northeast had what has become a classic expression - "Never judge another man until you have walked in his moccasins for three days". I wasn't there so I will be like the jury(that I hope he asks for at any trial) and will reserve judgment until all the evidence is heard. Somehow, I wonder if there was not some bad blood between the TWRA and this landowner and some bureaucrats wanted to get back at him. (I can't believe that black bears are some endangered species in Tennessee!)

gerry,

bears aren't endangered in TN, but there IS a legal hunting season... and summer isn't it.

My cousin is a ranger at Fall Creek Falls park not too far away... according to him, there's quite a few locals who like to 'hunt' on their own terms in that neck of the woods.

megalomaniac:

There are always locals who hunt big game out of season. (I grew up in an upstate NY county where many locals shot deer out of season. It was the Great Depression and the gamewardens {as they were called then}often turned the other eye) Your point is well taken,ofcourse. I should not have implied that the rangers framed the man and was wrong to even raise the implication and I apologize for doing so. I guess what I wanted to say is that the guy should have a presumption of innocence until something more comes out. Maybe he really did think that livestock or crops were in danger. It does seem to me that if he was out from the beginning to shoot a bear out of season that he would have had something heftier than a 22 at hand. After all, a 22 might easily be in a truck or Jeep in case of sighting one pest or another. I don't think that even Tennesseans, (famed from colonial times for their marksmanship with a rifle) set out to shoot bears with a 22 -however good shots they may be. But I was also wrong to swing the other way against the rangers. I should have just left it to developments and not have immediately assumed the position of counsel for the defense.