HARRISBURG - Charles W. Olsen Jr., 39, of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, was found guilty today of illegally killing a 707-pound bear over bait during the 2009 hunting seasons, and ordered to pay fines and restitution of $6,800, plus court costs, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO) Vic Rosa, of Wyoming County.

District Judge Carl Smith, of Tunkhannock, found Olsen guilty of unlawfully killing a bear, for which he was fined Olsen $1,500, and of hunting over bait, for which he fined Olsen $300. In addition, Judge Smith assessed Olsen with a $5,000 restitution penalty since the bear was considered "trophy-class," which means that it exceeded a field-dressed weight of 350 pounds.

Olsen also stands to lose his hunting and trapping privileges for at least three years.

The origins of the case began when Luzerne County WCO Cory Bentzoni became suspicious when he saw a truck loaded with pastries from a local store traveling along Route 309 in Dallas, Luzerne County.

"It was about one week from the opening of the statewide bear season, and I thought that something illegal might be underway," WCO Bentzoni said. "Being that we were so close to bear season, seeing that person drive by with an unusual amount of pastries was like watching an individual go down a row of parked vehicles testing each handle to see if it were would open. Something just didn't seem right.

"However, as 'possession of pastries' is not an unlawful offense, there was no probable cause that would have permitted me to pull him over and question him, so I did the only thing I could; I wrote down truck's license plate number, found that it was registered to Olsen and then instructed all Game Commission personnel operating bear check stations throughout the region to notify him me if Olsen brought a bear into one of the check stations."

Sure enough, on Nov. 25, Olsen brought a bear with an estimated live weight of 707 pounds into the bear check station at the Northeast Region Office in Dallas, Luzerne County. WCO Rosa was immediately contacted by the Northeast Region Office, since Olsen reportedly harvested the bear in Noxen Township, Wyoming County.

Northeast Region Land Management Supervisor Peter Sussenbach, who also was aware of the tip provided by WCO Bentzoni, approached Olsen and said, "There may be a problem with this bear." At that point, Olsen confessed he had killed the bear over a bait pile.

"What is most unfortunate is that law-abiding bear hunters in the area were robbed of the opportunity to legally harvest truly a trophy bear by fair chase means," said Northeast Region Law Enforcement Supervisor Dan Figured. "It was thanks to the quick thinking of an observant Wildlife Conservation Officer, and some basic investigative work, that helped resolve this case."

Facts from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: Cases such as this would carry increased fines and penalties if House Bill 1859, sponsored by House Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Edward G. Staback (D-Lackawanna), is enacted. The bill was approved by the House on July 21, by a vote of 196-3. The bill was approved by the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee on Jan. 26, and presently awaits further consideration in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Additionally, under Senate Bill 1200, sponsored by Senate Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Richard Alloway II (R-33), if Pennsylvania were a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, defendants in cases such as this would lose their ability to lawfully hunt in other states that prohibit the use of bait. SB 1200 passed the Senate by a unanimous vote, and presently is awaiting further action in the House Game and Fisheries Committee.

Geez, a short AP article on this even made the AZ Republic newspaper today.

Could that be classified as "profiling"? A guy in a truck, with a load of pastries, in a bear rich location, right before bear hunting season? Sounds like profiling to me LOL.

Crucifixion is too good for those bear baiter types.

I could never go back and live in pa, after all these years in Alaska. You'd be reading about me in the paper sooner or later for something or another; that seems perfectly normal here in Alaska.

When I lived back east, I had this neighbor, milked 75 cows, cut timber in the winter. The Game wardens hated him, forever trying to bust him for all kinds of things. It would piss him off and he'd shoot deer like crazy for crop damage. Then he'd gut and lay them out along the highway (for everybody to see). He'd call game wardens and tell them to come out pick their deer up. They actually hated doing this on a daily basis and then they would let my neighbor alone. So my neighbor had this on going pissin match with game commission. I hunted with all the neighbors during deer season; we'd drive out all the woods & swamps near our house. My neighbor would never wear orange, always a yellow raincoat just to piss the game wardens off, no joke, and it did set them right off. I once saw old Ray, 300 yards out in a field start waving his arms in his yellow raincoat at the game wardens checking hunters licenses. Once he got their attention, he started shooting his 338 off skyward, then eased off into the woods heading back to his farm. The deputy game wardens ran all the way up that field and never caught Ray. Old Ray got a big harr outta all of this. As goofy as old Ray was, I've never found a better neighbor than Old Ray, ha ha. I've invited him up here to kill some caribou; but always says if he's going anywhere, he's going to OR E GONE. ha ha. Once Ray had a sow with couple cubs rolling big circles in one of his corn fields, scratching themselves on stalks. When Game commission refused to set barrel trap, old Ray shot the bear; before they ruined the corn field. Crazy neighbors and such.

Baiting bear and running with hounds is how we hunt bear in Wi.You would have to crucify 98% of The Wisconsin Federation of Bear Hunters,me included.