The Josh Bowmar Controversy – My Two Cents

The Skinny on the Josh Bowmar Controversy

Recently, the Josh Bowmar controversy has spread through the internet regarding his killing of a black bear with a spear. At first, I tried to ignore it. I figured it was just another attempt by anti-hunters to get some legislation going or create a wedge within the hunting community. However, I was disappointed when I saw a lengthy discussion surrounding the subject on a popular hunting group on Facebook. From what I gather, hunters seem to be disagreeing on what they see as an ethical kill. They also seem to disagree on the sportmanship that was or was not displayed by Josh Bowmar in the video. To top it off, Under Armour, a major sponsor of Josh’s wife, decided to drop her as a pro staff member.

At this time, I could not find the original video that caused the controversy. At the top of the page is the best video I’ve found in terms of the showing the entire hunt. Below is a response video by Josh Bowmar himself. For more information read this NY Daily News article.

Hunter who used 7ft spear to kill bear says people should be ‘ashamed’ of attempts to stop him

My Two Cents

When Under Armour dropped Josh’s wife, they basically said that they feel that Josh’s actions were outrageous. So much so that it tarnished his wife Sarah’s reputation. As far as I’m concerned this is quite ridiculous. From what I’ve gathered, Josh was hunting legally when he harvested that bear. I would definitely classify the hunt as extremely dangerous. Especially since that bear was huge.

That being said, I applaud the courage it took to complete that hunt. Furthermore, I fully support each and every hunter no matter how they choose to hunt so long as it’s legal where they are hunting. Would I hunt that way? No, but as a fellow hunter I know that I would expect other hunters to support me even if it’s not the way they choose to hunt. In the grand scheme of things hunters are a small portion of the population. Fighting amount ourselves will undoubtedly lead to the demise of all hunting. I urge you to think about the broader picture the next time something like this happens. Hunters need to support other hunters that are hunting within the law. Happy Hunting!