Gentry admits to killing domesticated black bear

[IFallsRon]

Gentry admits killing bear in pen

Duluth News Tribune

Published Monday, November 27, 2006

Country singer Troy Lee Gentry admitted this morning that he shot and killed a domesticated black bear in a 3-acre penned area and not in the wild, as he had claimed when he registered the animal with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Gentry pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Duluth to the misdemeanor crime of making a false label. The crime is punishable by a maximum penalty of one year in prison, five years’ probation and a $100,000 fine.

Gentry, 39, of Franklin, Tenn., a member of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, had been scheduled to stand trial starting today but reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He agreed to pay a $15,000 fine and forfeit the mounted bear, the bow he used to kill the bear, and all hunting, fishing and trapping privileges in Minnesota for five years.

Gentry, wearing glasses, a dark suit and tie, politely answered the questions of U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dees.

Gentry admitted that he set up a hunting stand in a 3-acre pen that was surrounded by an electric fence. Dees told the court that Gentry had registered the bear as being shot in the wild six miles east of town.

“You know that is incorrect?” Dees asked Gentry.

“Yes, sir,” Gentry replied.

The government alleged that Gentry’s taking of the black bear in October 2004 was videotaped and later edited to appear as though Gentry killed the black bear in a “fair chase” hunting situation. The indictment alleges that “Cubby” was a “trophy caliber, tame/captive-reared” black bear.

A felony charge against Gentry of violating the Lacey Act by transporting the bear from Minnesota to Kentucky and on to his home in Tennessee was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

[harvey lee]

I hope the fine and penalty will be greater than the little bit they usually fine these big money dudes.They need to ban him from hunting any state and make him pay dearly for this. A little fine and go hunt again in another state.

[PierBridge]

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They need to ban him from hunting any state

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I thinks it a 5 Year ban in Minnesota for Gentry.....

[iffwalleyes]

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They need to ban him from hunting any state

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I thinks it a 5 Year ban in Minnesota for Gentry.....

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Right but I agree if the rules are violated and he is ban from MN for 5 years so what he is from TN what does he care. It should be banned from the state of the act as well as home state if not complete loss of privledges period.

[jlm]

I agree, no big deal for him. Although, some states have a reciprocity deal...lose your right to hunt in one state and you lose it in the rest as well (the states that participate). Lets hope that is the case here!

[Code-Man]

Some guys from back home were hunting elk in Montana/Idaho I can't remember where but you can't party hunt. last day last evening one bull tag left and the guy took off and a bull elk came through and they shot it for him figuring he wont get one...well they figured wrong. They were banned from most of the western hunting states for a long time for this whole deal...Man reason they tried to cover up the extra bones and got caught. Not saying it is right what gentry did but you do a ban or something like that he'll just stay away from the states that he is banned from. Should make him do community service or work for the DNR. Only way to make him pay for it.

[Polar Bear]

Could somebody please explain what laws were broken? I'm not sure what difference there is in shooting a tame bear with the owners permission compared to shooting a fenced in deer in a "hunting preserve". I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I don't see the crime involved.

[lcornice]

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I agree, no big deal for him. Although, some states have a reciprocity deal...lose your right to hunt in one state and you lose it in the rest as well (the states that participate). Lets hope that is the case here!

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Minnesota is a compact state, which means hunting privileges are revoked in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

I THINK it's an automatic revocation but I'm not 100% sure. Here's the direct link:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/enforcement/revocations.html

Even has names ...

[Ufatz]

Hey Polar: It appears he made a false statement, claiming he shot the bear in one area when it fact it was taken in another area. You are supposed to tag animals properly with date taken and location. He lied about it. It is sometimes described as false swearing. The violation was not a felony. It may well be that much of the impetus to charging this guy was that what he did was so sickening to most sportsmen. Such an act is disgusting. This guy shouldn't be out running around pretending to be an outdoorsman.

[BeerHunter]

On the news they said along with losing his hunting rights he is also paying a $15,000 fine. And felony charges were dropped.

[metrojoe]

It should have been a felony, but it was reduced to a misdemeanor because of the hefty fine.

[BigWadeS]

$15000 for a fine and 5 years that can't hunt in MN, what a joke, what's $15000 to someone that makes as much as they do...

[Black_Bay]

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$15000 for a fine and 5 years that can't hunt in MN, what a joke, what's $15000 to someone that makes as much as they do...

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Luckily in America the law is applied equally, or at least it's supposed to be. Whether Gentry is a rich country singer or if he was a poor dirt farmer the fine should be the same. Fines and sentences for crimes shouldn't be based on how much a person could afford or how much time they want to spend in jail.

I hope that all the states and Canada get together to revoke hunting/fishing/driving privileges for people that break the law.

[roosterslayer]

I was forwarded an email by a friend that shows a peta group trying to save the deer in the MPLS water works a couple of years back. and of the deer in the area a super large buck was inside. The peta group says that Gentry was putting up the money to have the deer moved to a private fenced in farm near Sandstone. This seems awfully funny now, considering this is the exact place that Gentry took that bear.

[BobT]

I don't know the whole story so, not in defense of Mr. Gentry, but are you suggesting that a fine should be somehow relative to one's ability to pay? That sounds a bit absurd. Seems like there's a conspiracy here to hang him because of his fame and not because of anything he has done. Is it jealousy or justification that we want served?

Bob

[KOTTKE]

It would be interesting to see if he has registered any trophy whitetail from this same area in the last couple of years?

[love to hunt]

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Seems like there's a conspiracy here to hang him because of his fame and not because of anything he has done.

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It is a fact that famous people (singers, sports figures, actors, polititions) are held to a higher degree of accountability, weather we agree with it or not it is the way of things. I my opinion that is the way it should be. They are public figures, by their choice, and that high accountability is all part of the fame package. If we don't hold these highly visiable people as well as other normal people, to the highest standards then what lessons are we teaching our children?

I say throw the book at him and every other person that follows suite. I have no time or sympathy for unethical or nonlaw abiding people.

IMHO

[ZOOM]

I don't want to start a wave here,but could somebody please tell me what the charge was. I thought that Gentry was charged only with the fact that he registered the bear in an area different then that witch he took it(lied). Not that that is right in any way but if that was all he was charged with why is this such a big deal? I mean other than that fact nothing about his hunting the bear is different from any other game farm hunt weather it be 10 or 10,000 acers.By this reasoning shouldn't there be a size limit to a game farm. If there is a size minnumim please don't attack me I'm just wondering..I know that Game farms are a ligit hunting experiance and I do not wish to step on toes but every one seems to be jumping on the band wagon and I just want to know why??? Lieing is not right and it shouldn't be tolerated I know that but after that what is there???

[Outdoors_Junkie]

It is not legal for to operate large game/ game farms in MN. So, he should not have been hunting penned in bear.