Two charged for killing hibernating bear

[IFallsRon]

FOLEY — Two Foley-area men are accused of killing and processing for its meat a bear that had been hibernating this winter in a culvert in St. George Township.

Jody Ed Dumonceaux, 31, and Kyle Dorman Strand, 24, are charged in Benton County District Court with taking a protected wild animal out of season, a misdemeanor. Court records indicate that neither man admitted killing the bear, but both admitted responsibility for butchering it.

The bear had been hibernating in a culvert under a field road in an area near 105th Avenue and 25th Street Northeast in St. George Township. A tip to the Turn In Poachers line in late March indicated that the bear had been killed in its den out of season and that Dumonceaux was involved, the court complaint said.

The caller told the TIP line that rumors were that the bear had been shot. A second caller to the TIP line said they had seen the bear hibernating in the culvert in the winter and returned in mid-February to find blood near the culvert.

When interviewed by Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, Dumonceaux admitted that he knew the bear was denned in the culvert, but he denied knowing anything about what happened to the bear. He later changed his story and admitted knowing about the dead bear and having meat from the bear in his freezer. He denied killing the bear.

Dumonceaux turned over meat from the bear, along with the remains, including the skull, paws, hide and bones, the court complaint said.

Strand admitted helping butcher the bear, but also denied shooting it, the complaint said.

The charges against both men come two months after another Benton County man was charged with mistreating a bear that he was keeping on his property without the proper permits.

Terry Gerald Sauer, 29, of Graham Township is accused of having a bear cub chained to a tree on his property. The chain around the bear's neck had worn away the bear's fur and had dug into the skin on its neck, a court complaint said.

The bear was suffering from malnutrition and weighed about half what a normally fed and maintained bear its age should weigh, according to the complaint.

[maros91]

couple of (Contact Us Please). Never should be able to hunt or fish again!!!

[Nate McVey]

They should be given sleeping pills and thrown into a cage filled with bears. See how they like it..........what a couple of freaking (Contact Us Please).

[Northland Sportsman]

Just makes you wonder what the he// some people are thinking. This is rediculous, how could you kill a sleeping bear for sport???

[Jameson]

From the original post it appears the poachers killed the bear for it's meat, not for sport.

I hate defending poachers, but these guys at least did more than just cut off its front paws. The bear meat was in their freezers.

They may have killed the bear out of hunger, and not for sport. That doesn't make it right. There are other options. That said, hunger will drive men to do crazy things.

[Northland Sportsman]

Are you suggesting that they were so hungry the only option was to kill a sleeping bear? I am not buying that one for a second. I have meat in my freezer that I hunted for sport and am sure others do as well.

[UMDSportsman]

Glad to see that somebody actually got caught. There is a lot more illegal stuff that happens in the area and doesn't get reported. Half the county knew about the bear, I didn't know about it until i read the story, but later on saturday at a grad party i heard that there were a lot of people that knew about the bear being there. When you read the article they had the meat, but didn't admit to killing it, definetly more people involved, but nobody in benton county will talk. The Roger Valencourt killing is another prime example of nobody talking.

[Ufatz]

Jameson, actions these three individuals have taken are simply indefensible. A good flogging would be appropriate.

[surewood]

I was recently down at the Dalbo WMA and saw two dead bears. Looked to be someone shot them cut the bigger ones head off and left everything else. Looked to me that they may have been taken while hibernating to based on the decomp. Contacted the DNR nothing back yet. Just thought that was a little strange after hearing that story seeing how it is only about a half hour away from Foley. Maybe somebody else knows more about this.

[maros91]

Surewood

How recent was your sightings? I live 10 minutes from there and drive past it on the way to work everyday. What part of the WMA was it? That is were I was planning on hunting Bear this year since I didn't get drawn for area 51.

[surewood]

Biff I was on the side that has the big steel building on the hill. The bears were not very far from the building by a little water hole. I think it is 41 or 47 maybe that I accessed it from. I turned right onto a dirt road and only a couple miles down or so there is a road that is gated on the left. I walked up from there, maybe a mile in. It's real nice up there.

[maros91]

I called the DNR on the bears and they were from previous cases and that is where they dump them. The area is pretty nice although it is very wet back in there. I walked in there when everything was frozen back in late Jan. There are some ridges of hardwoods in there but there is no way a person is getting back there unless it is frozen.

[jbell1981]

Quote:

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From the original post it appears the poachers killed the bear for it's meat, not for sport.

I hate defending poachers, but these guys at least did more than just cut off its front paws. The bear meat was in their freezers.

They may have killed the bear out of hunger, and not for sport. That doesn't make it right. There are other options. That said, hunger will drive men to do crazy things.

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If that were the case they could have sold thier gun(s). That would have bought them a few meals. There are food shelfs to that I am sure they could have gone to.

What they did is not defendable. They commited a crime and should be punished for it.