Bear Speared

[rick_iles]

This is no different than using a bow. The difference is the way the article is written. Media at its finest......again !

[topher]

Funny antis always say guns arent fair.. you would think that a spear is about is as "traditional" as u can get. I dont see an issue with using a spear, i wouldnt but more power to him.

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[TrapJack]

I don't have the answer to this, and don't have the time right now to check, is it legal there?
So that's my first question. Because it wouldn't be legal in Ontario.

My second statement, is that if his outfitters were aware of this (whether legal or not) i do not believe they should continue having the privilege of being an outfitter. Allowing a guest within that range of bears and then throwing a spear without a firearm as back up is unnecessary and incredibly dangerous. As an outfitter myself i would have never let this hunt happen in this way whether legal or not. It's simply idiotic and at the very least risks your customer as well as your entire livelihood were something to go wrong at such close unprotected range.

[trimmer21]

How is a spear to the vitals any different than an arrow or a bullet? I see someone who is crazy to get that close but he put the spear in the right place and I could see a large spear like that being a lot quicker of a kill than many broadheads that are openly used today.

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My issue is NOT with the method he used to kill the Bear. It's with the decision to record,then publicize, a hunt that went horribly wrong by any standard of the ethics of a quick,clean kill that all of us,as hunters,aspire to,then,adding insult to injury by acting like an total immature a**hole after the fact like he'd done something heroic on the video. I think he needs a kick in the berries....more than once,for his appalling conduct.

I wouldn't worry about the antis.. they'll always be around...whether you hunt ethically or not.

I absolutely agree,but,deliberately feeding the anti-hunting/animal rights rhetoric,to me,is just plain stupidity on a grand scale.

[MikePal]

I don't see a link to the Youtube Video. in the OP article...this is it;

[huntnmachine]

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My issue is NOT with the method he used to kill the Bear. It's with the decision to record,then publicize, a hunt that went horribly wrong by any standard of the ethics of a quick,clean kill that all of us,as hunters,aspire to,then,adding insult to injury by acting like an total immature a**hole after the fact like he'd done something heroic on the video. I think he needs a kick in the berries....more than once,for his appalling conduct.



I absolutely agree,but,deliberately feeding the anti-hunting/animal rights rhetoric,to me,is just plain stupidity on a grand scale.

You nailed it IMO

[patvetzal]

I agree that this should be put in the same class as someone who uses a compound bow for big game on an evening hunt.... A rifle is the only safe, humane way to do it....

[x_xeon_x]

I believe this is legal in some states in the USA. If done right I don't see the issue.

[MikePal]

Well things will change now..LOL...

The Alberta government has condemned a controversial hunting practice after a U.S. hunter posted a YouTube video that shows him killing a bear using a spear.


The video, posted in June, shows Josh Bowmar, a personal trainer and former competitive javelin thrower, hitting the bear with the hand-thrown spear. It's believed the video was shot in May northeast of Edmonton.

"The type of archaic hunting seen in the recently posted video … is unacceptable," Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Parks said in a written statement. "We will introduce a ban on spear hunting this fall."

The department has also directed fish and wildlife officers to investigate to see if charges are warranted under existing laws.
Conservation groups press for change

"We've got at least one hunter that has come up here and wanted to hunt by use of a spear, so now it means we're going to have to address it by way of policy," said Wayne Lowry, president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association, a conservation group that consults with government on its regulations.
Wind-up

As the black bear approaches food left as bait, Bowmar winds up to throw his spear. (YouTube)

He said the 2016 regulations that came into force in July should prevent spear hunting by applying strict definitions as to what constitutes a weapon. But he admitted the lack of a specific ban could make the regulation a grey area. At the time the video was recorded, there was no law in place preventing spear hunting.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmont...pear-1.3722070

[MikePal]

and a comment from the Hunter.....

Bowmar told The Canadian Press in an email he was surprised by the reaction to the video. He said spears have been used for hunting since the “dawn of man” and the notion that the method is inhumane “couldn’t be further from the truth.”
He said the spear blade he used was 13 centimetres wide and about 40 centimetres long and penetrated the bear more than 60 centimetres deep.
“The bear I speared only ran (55 metres) and died immediately, that’s as humane and ethical as one could get in a hunting situation on big game animals. Trust me, no one cares more about these animals than us hunters, especially me,” he wrote.
He also said the animals he hunts are not wasted.
“In fact, it is even against the law to waste the animals hide … We also eat the meat from our harvested animals including bear. On top of tasting amazing, it’s extremely nutritious for our bodies.”