New York Man Illegally Kills Bear, He Claims It Attacked His Dog

As black bear come out of hibernation in New York they are hungry and looking for food. As they search for their next meals you and I may encounter one or two. You might even see a momma with her cubs. If you do, stay away. A hungry bear could be an aggressive bear, especially around cubs.

One Dutchess County resident encountered a black bear recently and now the bear is dead. Was this individual protecting himself? His dog? New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says no.

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According to the DEC, there are nearly 7,000 black bears in the wild of New York. You are allowed to bear hunt in the fall throughout portions of northern, southeastern, and central-western New York. What happened between this bear, a man and his dog?

On Saturday April 22nd, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECO) got a call regarding a bear shot in the town of Dover. The Dutchess County Sherriff's Office, which responded to the call for shots fired, witnessed a subject dragging the bear back to his home when they arrived at the location.

ECO spoke with an individual that claimed the bear attacked his dog, prompting him to shoot it. Upon further investigation it was determined that the subject's story did not match the physical evidence at the scene. It was concluded that the subject's dog had gone after the bear and the subject followed both animals before shooting and killing the bear.

The bear was seized as evidence and donated. Several tickets were issued to the homeowner;

• Taking bear out of season
• Illegal take of protected wildlife
• Hunting/taking a protected animal without a license