NJ Man who Shoots 3 Problem Bears gets $4,000+ Fines and Fees

Ammoland ^ | 4 February, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

In October, 2014, a 76-year-old New Jersey resident shot three problem bears on his property.  One was an adult sow that was on his deck and looking in through his sliding glass door.  The location of the two juvenile bears when they were shot, is disputed, but was either on the deck or close to it.  Bears are more dangerous as they are larding up for the winter hibernation.

Bears that display this level of familiarity with humans, who associate humans with food, are a severe problems waiting to happen.  It is why the conservation community has come up with a well used phrase: A fed bear is a dead bear.

Judge James G. Devine handed down the fines against Robert Ehling on the 28th of January, 2016.  I found the judges attitude a bit disturbing in one particular sense.  He thought that Robert C. Ehling acted as a "vigilante".  From njherald.com:

ANDOVER TOWNSHIP - A Sparta man was found guilty of illegally killing three bears and possession of a loaded firearm within 450 feet of an occupied dwelling on Thursday and ordered to pay a total of $4,332 in civil penalties and restitution.

The verdict and fines were levied against Robert C. Ehling by Municipal Court Judge James Devine, who called the 76-year-old man's actions on Oct. 10, 2014, the acts of "a vigilante, usurping the right of the state."

Wow.  New Jersey is one of the most anti-Second Amendment states in the Union.  They have effectively nullified the Second Amendment if you can be fined for mere possession of a loaded firearm, on your own property, while you are defending your property from bears.

[marktwain]

Bears that become comfortable around humans, and associate them with food, are dangerous, and should be put down.

A fed Bear is a dead bear.

[goldstategop]

I want the judge fed to the bears.

Let’s see if he thinks defending one’s life from them was still excessive.

The old man should tear up his edict and laugh in his face.

Judges like that don’t deserve our respect.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

A Sparta man was found guilty of...possession of a loaded firearm within 450 feet of an occupied dwelling

Holy crap. How is that even enforceable unless one discharges said firearm? I hate MA but am glad I don't live in NJ.

[Tupelo]

New Jersey.
But there are some who wants their Governor to be President.

Shaking my head in wondering amazement.

[txhurl]

TX went through its black bears 100+ years ago as the fat was coveted for frying and they liked the meat, too!

[ManHunter]

Fella should adhere to the admonition of Montana ranchers: Shoot, shovel and shut the hell up!

[Blue Jays]

"...The old man should tear up his edict and laugh in his face.
Judges like that don't deserve our respect..."

---

The 76 y.o. man most likely does not wish to be put in jail.
Contempt of court can be serious business and no joking matter.

[Blue Jays]

One of his so-called "neighbors" probably called the police.
Even though they all directly benefited from the man's actions.

[Sooth2222]

I think he tried to hide the bodies. That didn't work out too well.

"Robert C. Ehling brought part of the legal problem on himself by not reporting the shooting, and by what looked like an attempt to dispose of the bodies. A police officer, called by neighbors, testified that Ehling was dragging one of the juvenile bears' body toward a nearby ravine when the officer arrived."

[Lurker]

This idiot judge is more dangerous than those bears were.

L

[Sooth2222]

BTW, it was a municipal court. Our Governor, for all his flaws (and there are many more than you know) couldn't have had anything to do with this.

"The verdict and fines were levied against Robert C. Ehling by Municipal Court Judge James Devine, who called the 76-year-old man's actions on Oct. 10, 2014, the acts of "a vigilante, usurping the right of the state.""

[upsdriver]

He should get three rugs and a reward.

[parcel_of_rogues]

To show there’s no hard feelings he should leave a gift of an open jar of honey by his neighbor’s back door.

[tlozo]

Same judge, Municipal Judge James Devine, had 9/11 memorial removed from courtroom.

http://911families.org/911-memorial-feared-as-weapon-moved-from-nj-court/

[Romulus]

So the question is, why did the bears associate this man’s house with food?

[GailA]

As my late uncle would say, lots of good eating. Unless his neighbors heard the shots and called police, they’d already been skinned by morning and in his freezer. I don’t think he every ate store bought meat other than bacon. Nor did his wife know how to cook store meat other than bacon. He hunted his own meat.

My sister works at a resort near Dollywood, and they have bear problems, and DUMB people who don’t follow the rules about their trash. Thus bears root in it, and 1 customer was chased, one swiped at by a cub, both were put down as feral. They think the cubs are just so cute and will let their kids approach them. These are wild animals, and mom will attack if she thinks her cubs are in danger.

[GailA]

You’d be welcome in State Income tax free TN, we have open carry.

[TYVets]

$4,000 Fine may have been cheap.

If a bear gets inside the house, property damages might get expensive.

Injures or death to humans could be costly or worse.

Pets not so much value but hard to replace.

New Jersey hard to Shoot, Shovel and Shut up?

[Blue Jays]

The man was apparently reported to police by a so-called “neighbor” and he was seen pulling the bears towards a ravine.