Sounds like they are going to hang him high. Here in La. if you are caught killing a bear unless you can prove you were in danger ie. bites and scraches, it is up to 50,000 dollar fine and 10 years in a fed. pen but they are protected here.

Wow! $50k and 10 years in the pen for shooting a black bear out of season?

I agree that poaching should be punished, but there are smokeheads that plea bargain for less than that every day.

I hope people will soon realize that the rules and laws are in everyones best interest. Yeah, sometimes they can be restrictive; but there will be plenty years ahead of good population for my kids and yours.

No doubt, but there is fitting punishment to meet the crime. I fail to see how ten years on the tax payers dime for killing a single black bear fits the crime.

I'm not advocating lesser sentencing for poachers or trying in anyway to justify poaching in any way shape or form; but 10 years in the clink? Good gravy!

There are teenagers who drink/drive and unwittingly get in an accident that kills somebody (involuntary manslaughter) and serve much less time. Certainly we don't want to go around handing out stiffer sentences to people that kill an animal out of season intentionally than people who involuntarily kill people.