Country star accused of killing tame bear
If this turns out to be true and the man is found guilty, I hope they sentence him to being kept in a 4 x 4 foot cage for a year.
I don’t know who Troy Lee Gentry is because I don’t follow country music. As far as I’m concerned, he could be just some fool with more money than brains that has his heart set on “killing” a bear. Plenty of people participate in caged hunts every year. When Cheney shot his hunting partner it was during a caged hunt. If people want to “hunt” that way, my only opinion is don’t tell me you’re a real hunter. For that matter, don’t call yourself a sportsman or sportswoman because there is no sport in a caged hunt.
However, what Gentry is accused of doing goes beyond caged hunting and into the arena of animal cruelty and senseless killing.
Gentry along with Lee Marvin Greenly are accused of killing a tame bear in a pen and then claiming it as a bear killed in the wild. The killing occurred in October of 2004.
According to authorities, the bear belonged to Greenly. Greenly is a wildlife photographer and hunting guide. Gentry is accused of paying $4,650 for the bear. The bear was left in its pen where Gentry supposedly killed it with a bow and arrow.
Greenly is accused of videotaping Gentry’s killing of a penned, tame bear and then editing the tape to make it appear that the bear was shot in a “fair chase” hunting situation.
Johnny Dorris, Gentry’s manager stated that Gentry
…relied on the knowledge and expertise of a local guide to obtain the proper permit. Troy felt what he did was legal and in full compliance of the law and was surprised to hear of the indictment.
The legality of killing a penned bear and claiming it was killed in a “fair chase” hunting situation aside, Gentry and his manager doesn’t seem to feel that killing a penned bear is wrong. At least based on this statement.
Killing a penned, tame bear doesn’t fit the definition of a “fair chase” hunt. According to Hunt Fair Chase, fair chase is defined as
…the ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit, and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.
A penned animal would give the hunter an improper advantage. A tame animal would also give the hunter an unfair advantage. Killing a penned, tame animal is senseless animal cruelty in my opinion. It sure doesn’t meet the definition of “fair chase.”
Joefish:
I’ve always thought the “fairness” of hunting is such a foolish idea. How on earth do you find true fairness? And really, is fairness that important an idea? Excluding a few backwoods types who truly hunt to survive, modern hunting is all about the machismo of killing.
Hunters will deny this until they’re blue in the face, but it’s true. Hunting, especially for deer, is almost a religion around here and I’ve had a number of conversations about this over the years. Every possible reason for hunting has a simpler alternative.
“It’s about getting out in the woods and being in nature.” Well, you don’t need a permit or funny clothes to go hiking.
“It’s about male bonding.” Oh, shut the hell up. Go bowling with the guys.
“I need that meat for my family.” A friend of mine once did the math and found that with the cost of his permit, new hunting clothes and boots every few years, butcher’s fees, maintaining a bait pile, etc., his venison sausage cost him about $22 a pound.
“We need to hunt deer to control the animal population. If we don’t thin the herd, many of them will starve through the winter anyway.” So… if you don’t kill them, they might die? Nature is very good at regulating itself. Leave the deer alone and the herd will find a balance.
“It’s secretly about getting away from the wife, drinking beer, and not shaving for a week.” This is my favorite excuse. But one could always go camping.
“I really enjoy the marksmanship aspects.” What’s wrong with shooting tin cans? Want a bigger challenge? Move back another hundred yards. I used to have a membership in an archery club. $20 a year gave me unlimited use of a target range with a wilderness course.
I went bow hunting one year when I was a teen. All I really wanted was something to share with my stepfather.
Having gone through all of that, let me say I’m in favor of deer hunting for two reasons:
1. Venison sausage is really, really good. Also tasty are bear stew and barbecued beaver. Shut up. Stop laughing. BBQ beaver is awesome.
2. Every deer on the plate is a deer that will never bounce off my bumper. I totaled a car by hitting a deer once. It’s not an experience I’m eager to repeat.
17 August 2006, 12:58 amJoefish:
Oh, wait… I mean “darn that guy for being so unfair.”
heh.
17 August 2006, 12:59 amMindless Dribbler:
I’m in total agreement….the shooting of any penned animal is senseless, short of killing it because of a disease.
I hunt…but would never choose to do so in this fashion. What would be the point? Where would the fun be?
17 August 2006, 2:10 pmJan:
I can’t understand the mentality involved in this sort of cowardly, stupid behavior, but I’m sure there IS NO mentality.
17 August 2006, 9:58 pmTom Harper:
I posted on this same story. That guy is a worthless piece of shit. I know some “hunters” do this, and they’re all equally contemptible. This guy only made the news because he’s famous (I hadn’t heard of him either since I don’t listen to that type of “music”
.
This kind of “hunting” is about as brave as pushing a quadriplegic out of his wheelchair and stomping the shit out of him.
18 August 2006, 3:35 amMr. Fabulous:
I never fail to be astounded by the cruelty and idiocy of people.
18 August 2006, 8:31 amBreigh:
That makes me so sad
Cruelty to any kind of animals is horrible in my opinion. Yes, I eat meat… so maybe it’s hypocritical of me, I don’t know.
I just felt very sad reading about this.
18 August 2006, 8:42 amhayley3:
To kill a tame bear, place it in a pen and kill it under the guise of hunting is a cowards way of hunting. It is an act of extreme cruelty, animal abuse and unethical behavior. This animal trusted his seller, was defenseless in even escaping being hunted.
18 August 2006, 5:52 pmHis tameness was even worse to be taken advantage of.
Both men should be put in a pen and hunted. They deserve prison time for participation in a caged hunt which is unsportsmanlike and not true huntng at all.
One year in prison, $1 million dollar fine and in addition working in a wildlife santucary with bears as community service for 1 year in addition. Maximum and severe punishment should be enforced.
Janet:
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but with a name like Troy Lee Gentry I doubt things like bear hunting are far behind
20 August 2006, 11:41 pmBubba:
Why can’t this stupid fuck just get a Corvette like all the other over-compensating, pencil-dick assholes?
21 August 2006, 1:55 pmBes:
Clear animal cruelty and more. Animal cruelty can get a few years; this thing should get something, or at least some huge fine to make sure he sings more songs and remembers why he has to sing them to make money.
26 August 2006, 3:32 amLiving in Canberra:
Hunting is bad enough in any circumstances, but shooting a tame bear like Gentry did is pure barbarism. What possible enjoyment did he get from that? Who can possibly justify this sort of cruelty? I saw the deal he did with the state, and its pretty lenient … should have included some jail time - he might have enjoyed being caged in a cell and left at the mercy of some of the predators there.
28 November 2006, 9:42 am