Photo courtesy of CBS 2
A New Jersey man is going to court this month over three bears he killed in October, 2014. He claims they were shot in self-defense, but his four summonses to appear before a judge say otherwise.
New York’s CBS 2 reported that Robert Ehling of Sparta awoke one morning to his wife’s blood-curdling screams coming from the kitchen. He claims he got up, witnessed a black bear on the back deck trying to gain access to the house and a bag of birdseed within, and went outside with a shotgun to scare it. The 300-pound bear then stood and faced Ehling, apparently distracted from its errand, and turned its head. That’s when he shot it.
It fell over the deck’s railing, but when he went to inspect it, another bear began making its way up the deck. He shot it too.
Then Ehling said a third bear began growling at him. He shot it in the head — all three supposedly killed as acts of necessity.
New Jersey Fish and Wildlife officials disagreed. Ehling was issued four $100 summonses to appear in court for hunting out of season and hunting near a residential home. He maintains his innocence and is fighting the charges.
He told CBS 2 he was protecting his family.
“I wasn’t hunting,” Ehling said. “It was going to come in to my house.”
The New Jersey Department of Enviromental Protection declined to comment as the case is ongoing. The case will continue in court later this month.
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