Black bear killed with spear
Josh Bowmar, a 26-year-old man from Ohio, was hunting near Swan Hills in Northern Alberta in the spring when he threw a spear some 12 metres into a black bear that had been rummaging around a bait bin.
A camera was mounted onto the spear and recorded the incident. Bowmar had posted it on Youtube but has since taken it down, though not before 200,000 people saw it, some directing angry messages at Bowmar.
In the video, Bowmar expresses pleasure. “I just did something that I don’t think anybody in the world has ever done,” the Edmonton Journal reports he said after hitting the bear. “He’s going down; I drilled him perfect. That was the longest throw I ever thought I could ever make.”
He also gushes that it was “a 12- to 15-yard spear throw; on the ground, no blind, no backup. We have no shotguns within miles of here.”
The bear initially survived and ran off into the woods. After it leaves, Bowmar goes to the site of the hit and retrieves his spear, saying he’d gotten “mad penetration.” He tracked the bear the following day and found it lying dead about 70 yards from where it had been struck. It’s not known how long it took the bear to die.
Charges may be pending
Bowmar’s website says he threw javelin in university and transitioned those skills into spear throwing. He and his wife, Sarah, who run a fitness company, are both hunters; because of the video and killing, Under Armour athletic wear has ended a sponsorship deal it had with Sarah.
While bear baiting is legal in parts of Alberta, it’s unclear if it is legal in the area Bowmar was hunting in. Kyle Ferguson, a spokesman for the Alberta Environment Ministry, said Bowmar’s actions were “unacceptable” and “archaic” and that they have asked Fish and Wildlife to look into potential charges.
He said the government would enact a ban on spear hunting in the fall.
Meanwhile, in speaking with the Canadian Press, Bowmar defended the kill and said that hunters care more for Black Bears than anyone. He claimed the bear died a “humane” and quick death. A group called ‘Help Save the BC Black Bear’ disagrees.
“This bear did not die a quick and painless death,” the group wrote on their Facebook page. “It ran off after being mortally wounded and Josh decided to wait until the NEXT DAY to track his ‘prey.’
“Disgusting.”
