Wildlife officials seek bear shooter

Nevada wildlife officials are looking for information about someone who winged a young bear in the Douglas County Foothill area over the past week.

Division of Wildlife Biologist Carl Lackey said the bear, which was shot in the left front leg, was seen June 2 by Sheridan Acres resident Allan Sapp outside of his bedroom window.

"We've been trying to catch him (bear) for two or three weeks," Lackey said. "We caught his mother last week and moved her out."

Lackey said the 70-pound bear is very light in color and has been climbing trees to get away from his would-be captors.

"We got a call from a neighbor about four days ago that they thought someone was shooting at the bear," Lackey said. "We caught the bear Monday. We were actually coming to pick up the trailer and a school bus driver told us he saw the bear crossing in front of him, so it was a case of being in the right place at the right time."

Lackey said when he examined the bear they found the gunshot wound, which has scabbed over a little and reopened.

"We took him to the vet's office and had him sewed up. The wound had opened up and it was down to the bone. "We're looking for information about who shot the bear."

Lackey asked anyone with information about the shooting to call Operation Game Thief at (800) 992-3030.

Shooting a wild animal without a license is considered poaching.

Nevada has no bear-hunting season, but Lackey said residents do have the right to protect themselves and their property from a bear.

"But this little guy was just 70 pounds," Lackey said. "He wasn't a threat to anybody."

After shooting a bear, the correct action is to contact the authorities.