Country singer murders bear

I've gotten up in arms a few times about people thoughtlessly killing bears (Richmond murders, dumps bears, New Jersey sentences bears to death), so I can't let this story pass.

Please don't fill me with arrows!

Some country singer named Troy Lee Gentry has been indicted in Duluth on charges of buying and killing a tame bear. The bear was tagged with a Minnesota hunting license and reported to the state as a wild kill. AP reports:

Authorities allege that Gentry purchased the bear from (Marvin) Greenly, a wildlife photographer and hunting guide, then killed it with a bow and arrow in an enclosed pen on Greenly's property in October 2004.

Gentry's lawyer said Wednesday that the federal indictment was misleading.

"Number one, the bear was not killed in a cage," said Minneapolis lawyer Ron Meshbesher. "The bear was roaming around in a fenced area of several acres, and my client spent almost two hours in a tree stand before he got a clear shot with a bow and arrow."

Oh well, that makes it better. The bear had a chance of dodging a few shots before being cornered and brought down.

Meshbesher said Gentry "is extremely distraught about these allegations. He prides himself as an environmentalist and an avid hunter who respects the fish and game laws of the United States."

I'll bet the proud environmentalist/sportsman told his buddies that he had to track the dangerous beast for 40 miles through thicket and swamp before finally prevailing in a hand-to-paw death struggle. The truth is the pathetic crooner sat up in a tree and took potshots at a tame animal named "Cubby." Yep, he must be real proud.

Even though it's not something I would do, I have nothing against hunting. In particular, a lot of areas would benefit from a culling of the deer population. But cornering a tame bear or blasting hand-raised pheasants as they bolt out of a cage is not hunting. It's just killing, and it's sick.

Update: Gentry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a $15,000 fine, and was on a whole three months probation. He also lost possession of the stuffed bear. Gentry died in a helicopter crash in 2017. The owner of the property where the bear was shot, Lee Marvin Greenly, pleaded guilty to two related felonies.