# Pedals is Dead **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 17, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850 "2016-10-17T16:58:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/21 "2016-10-17T23:22:05Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Bear season? Because bears is tasty? Not in my experience. It’s more likely trophy hunting for the most part. Also, there is a very large [black market](http://www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/trade_traditional_bears.php) for bear gallbladders in the Asian markets. ---
**Author:** ![PAjoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pajoe/32/58_2.png) [@PAjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PAjoe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/22 "2016-10-17T23:49:23Z")
I agree that if he was ambling around on all fours he would be indistinguishable from any other bear. The local scuttlebutt is that the guy targeted him specifically and had bragged that he killed the “famous” bear. I don’t know if any of that is true. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/23 "2016-10-18T02:54:05Z")
Those of you who disapprove of a bear hunt have obviously never lost a pet to one. No, I haven’t, but it does happen. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/24 "2016-10-18T06:26:15Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Those of you who disapprove of a bear hunt have obviously never lost a pet to one. > > No, I haven’t, but it does happen. We put our cats up at night because it is our responsibility to keep them safe to a reasonable extent while letting them be cats. IMO, bow hunters are the closest to evening the playing field with the animal hunted are great; until you go to a spear in a solo hunt. Those guys are doing it the best way. IMO. Bear hunting of non endangered animals is fine. But if one goes out to deliberately kill one such as ‘Pedals’ and it was not done with a obvious need for it’s own good but with the idea to kill for bragging rights and the bear is handicapped in some way makes the field even more uneven, is just an asshat IMO. I can’t say that it was a favor for Pedals but in the video I saw, Pedals was not even close to that kind of need yet. I have a very large dog that we rescued who was hurt bad in one leg as a very young puppy. He does not know that he is not supposed to hurt, not able to run like other dogs etc. I work extra hard to give him a good and fun life knowing full well that he will probably need help to pass earlier than normal. I am not going to just put him down because he might have extra pain compared to other dogs. What he feels and thinks is normal and can ignore and what he knows he can & can not do is not to be compared to other dogs but to him as much as can be known. I have always put my own pets down, they are my responsibility and I do not keep them alive while in the condition & pain that means the end is near. No scary ride to the vet, just sitting with Dad having a nice time , then gone in an instant. I live with constant deep bone pain and I am not looking for some do gooder to come put me down just because I hurt most of the time. Should we put returning soldiers down if they need a leg replaced and are in pain a lot? Or are suffering PTSD? Yeah, IMO, Pedals is worth more to this world than many humans I have come across… YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/25 "2016-10-18T12:43:17Z")
> [@mistymage](#): > > Being forced to walk on his hind legs had to or would soon be causing him a lot of pain. A bear’s body just isn’t designed for that. With a name like “Pedals”, I assumed he got around on a unicycle. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/26 "2016-10-18T16:07:08Z")
In Colorado we had [Samson](http://www.estesparknews.com/estes_valley_spotlight/article_fc6efca6-67ac-11e5-aa33-a3c6f8a88681.html). Here was the penalty for the poacher. > [@](#): > > The punishment Francis received was 90 continuous days in county jail with no work leave allowed, a $6,000 fine, he also had to pay approximately $2,300 in court costs and he received six years probation under the “Intensive Supervision Program (ISP), sixty hours of community service for six years, and loss of all hunting privileges for six years, (possibly for life). He was also ordered that he could not possess weapons of any kind, including pocket knives or bow and arrows. The judge reportedly told Francis, “The only knife you can use is a kitchen knife, in the kitchen!” He was also made to maintain minimum employment, so he could pay his court fines, and had to attend any counseling required by his probation officer. He lost all driving privileges for two years because a vehicle was used in the poaching and his confiscated rifle and crossbow were destroyed. The loss of his license was a nice touch. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/27 "2016-10-18T16:26:03Z")
Out along the scenic Seward Highway in Alaska, it’s common to see Dall sheep and other wildlife. One favorite for photographers and tourists was a Dall ram called [Old One Eye](https://www.shootersforum.com/attachments/my-neck-woods/291d1069350577-magnificent-ram-old-one-eye-poached-near-girdwood-one-eye-dall-sheep.jpg). This was a mature ram with a full curl set of horns. Then one day in 2003, some asshole with a rifle shot him through the hindquarters from the side of the road and then just drove off after the old guy fell off the cliff. Nobody was ever arrested. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/28 "2016-10-18T16:52:21Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Here was the penalty for the poacher. Not really relevant since Pedals was hunted legally, not poached. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/29 "2016-10-18T17:17:16Z")
> [@PAjoe](#): > > The local scuttlebutt is that the guy targeted him specifically and had bragged that he killed the “famous” bear. I don’t know if any of that is true. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/grief-and-anger-for-pedals-more-evidence-bipedal-bear-was-killed-1.1676892](http://www.northjersey.com/news/grief-and-anger-for-pedals-more-evidence-bipedal-bear-was-killed-1.1676892) > [@](#): > > Reached by email, Rose-Rublack said eyewitnesses who were at the Rockaway check station on Monday evening said a hunter bragged about killing Pedals. But she refused to disclose the names of the eyewitnesses. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/30 "2016-10-18T18:21:23Z")
Poor Pedals…once you become an internet star you have to step up your game or you’ll fall faster than a drop bear. In good human hunter news…saw where a guy found 14 pound lobster…he released it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/31 "2016-10-18T20:07:14Z")
We aren’t internet star friendly here. We also locked up Kai the Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/32 "2016-10-18T20:32:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You could make an argument that no bears should be hunted as game if you like, but that would apply to the hundreds of other bears killed in NJ recently. Pedals was a black bear, they can be legally hunted, and the hunter likely didn’t know he had a name and was considered special. Then why was he bragging that he had been specifically gunning for Pedals for three years? And it’s not like a bear walking upright on his back legs like Yogi, is missing his entire right paw and also has an injured left paw stands out or anything :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/33 "2016-10-18T21:26:32Z")
> [@quimper](#): > > Is that a typo? A **one day** _bow hunt_ snagged **430** bears?!? How many bears are there in Northern NJ!? :eek: 430 less. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/34 "2016-10-18T21:29:44Z")
Down with Common Core! ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/35 "2016-10-18T21:56:37Z")
> [@mistymage](#): > > While it saddens me he was probably killed I am also happy for him. Being forced to walk on his hind legs had to or would soon be causing him a lot of pain. A bear’s body just isn’t designed for that. Black bears spend a good bit of time upright on their hind legs. Having raised black bear cubs, I know this is not unusual and something they frequently do. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/36 "2016-10-18T22:43:25Z")
> [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > Then why was he bragging that he had been specifically gunning for Pedals for three years? > > And it’s not like a bear walking upright on his back legs like Yogi, is missing his entire right paw and also has an injured left paw stands out or anything :dubious: Even if true there’s no difference between Pedals and the other bears. There is perhaps a difference between that hunter and the others. I don’t like killing animals for the sake of it, it’s quite cowardly to do so with guns or even a bow, especially a bear that because of injuries makes an easy target. But none of those bears deserved to die, Pedals just gets the attention. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/37 "2016-10-18T22:54:58Z")
I guess he just wasn’t…smarter than the average bear. - Dons sunglasses. YEAAAHHHHHH! ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850/38 "2016-10-22T06:30:32Z")
I figured it was some jackhole who wanted to be ‘famous’. Would’ve been nice if it had been a guy who said, "I saw that poor, rail-skinny, injured animal who scrounged garbage and probably handouts just to maintain that starvation weight, and I said, “There’s an animal who’s suffering, and needs to be put to rest.” Nah. Asshole. That bear WAS skinny as all get out, though. It’s easy to like an animal that walks like us, and to care about an animal who’s been injured, but “Pedals” looked pretty sad from the footage I saw. I hope it was a clean kill. In the hands of a competent user, a crossbow can be very effective. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pedals-is-dead/768850.md?page=1)