Good Grief.

This man had several run ins with bears, and if the news was correct, had permission to get a depredation permit, but feared backlash from his neighbors and other bear nuts in Tahoe.

Why he did what he did is hard to fathom, but his earlier thought about backlash was clearly correct.

A year in jail for an elderly man is NOT going to stop anything.
Get over it.

Cranky Gerald you make the statement that, “but his earlier thought about backlash was clearly correct.” I’m curious to know exactly what that means. Does it mean that those of us who feel coexistence can be achieved between Lake Tahoe’s wildlife and it’s human inhabitants will precipitate us to keep the issue forefront by various methods and keep the heat on local regulating agencies and wildlife/law enforcement to see the light and work towards that same goal? If that’s your point in your statement then I will readily admit that you are totally correct. I can guarantee if we weren’t involved, myself on a very personal level, this travesty of killing a bear and shooting off a firearm in a neighborhood in a irresponsible and unsafe manner (not part of the charges leveled against Mr. Wetenkamp) would never have seen the light of day and would surely have been swept under the rug.

But if what you mean is that we “bear nuts”, as you term it, will or have been involved in any campaign aimed at outright personal attacks or threats made towards Mr. Wetenkamp you are completely and ignorantly mistaken. Absolutely none of what I just described has taken place or will take place. That is not who we are at The Bear League, regardless of what some ill informed people love to say about us. We actually offer a variety of services and educational materials to create a safer environment between humans and wildlife. THAT is who we are.

My personal feelings on this case is that in lieu of any fines or jail time I believe his punishment should be to simply install a steel bear proof trash bin on his property. That’s it, nothing else. Mr. Wetenkamp, the entire community, and our wildlife all would benefit if this sentence were to be handed down. Honestly though I know that this may not even be an actual legal possibility. I also genuinely offer Mr. Wetenkamp and his family the help and information to make a few minor adjustments to their home and lifestyle to make their neighborhood a safer place to live. I would even be more than willing to provide myself as an unpaid laborer to achieve that goal!

Once again I will add my email address for anyone that would like to have a civil sit down over a cup of coffee about this with me. toognian@gmail.com

It is open season on coyotes. A few years back a man shot and killed a coyote with his dog in its mouth and was charged with discharging a weapon, not killing a coyote.

The bears have outgrown their habitat. For twenty years I never saw a bear and now I see them routinely.

The Bear League expects them to retreat into the woods and quietly starve when we remove the human source of their food, which we should do.

The rational thing to do is remove the human sources of food and at the same time determine the population that can be supported naturally and develop a plan to get the bear population to that level.

Of course, that will never happen. Politics prevent the requirement of bear boxes for people unable to manage their garbage and emotions prevent the management of the bear population.

Gilbert is a wannabee Rambo. The bear was not a threat except in his hysterical mind. I hope he gets the book thrown at him. Grow up Gilbert.

Rob5 and Westside.

Quit using common sense in an emotional debate. Before you know it people will want the Bear League to have a plan.

The “all people bad all bear good” philosophy isn’t working very well.

People want the NDW to have a plan maybe we should hear theirs.