Did he cheat? this is a serious accusation, what is the proof? A bear that big does what he wants, stealing pastry sounds about right this time of year.If this guy is guilty, throw the book at him, but he is innocent until proven guilty, so lets see the proof.

According to the article, (1) the perp confessed, (2) we're not talking about a bear snagging a pie from someone's window. He apparently had a pickup truck bed full of discarded pastries that he dumped in the woods somewhere.

It's clearly baiting, not something in the "grey area."

Spotted by CO's driving through town with a pickup bed full of pastries, just before season? Admits to hunting over bait and then denies it? Some people just ask for it.

Amazing that the bear went from 300 pounds to over 700 in about 5 months. Have to wonder how much of that was due to truckloads of pastries.

What a shame. Thousands of guys put in the time to scout the woods for a chance for a bear like that and some LAZY SLOB takes a short cut. Let there be justice for the guys that do it right and max out his fine and time in the county jail.

Whats the difference if he was hunting in an apple orchard!!!is that baiting?? or hunting in a food plot for deer?? Pa and their baiting laws!!! They bait bears else where. Total BS !

Is that all the trouble he's getting for a 700lb black bear? Jeez for that size bear the punishment seems to encourage others to take the risk. A three year suspension of his hunting privileges? What privilege does he deserve? I have no tolerance for poachers.

Apparently no one on here ever hunted bears before.Its OK for the so called "Outdoor Pros" to shoot B&C bucks out of corn fields/food plots in the late season when the deer are targeting food sources!!absolutely insane.On the other hand people don't have a clue of what it takes in the amount of time/effort,days/weeks that these guys spend hunting in a blind and what it takes to see, let alone kill a bear/deer of that size!! Anyone that thinks hunting over "bait" is easy, hasn't done it!

I have no problem with hunting bear over bait or with dogs ... where it is legal. Issue is that it is not legal in PA and this guy was breaking the law. That and the moronic way he went about it reflects badly on all hunters.

It's simple, he broke the law. The fact that he was "hunting", or that it was a 700 lb. bear is not relevant.
You don't hunt deer in June. you don't hunt with a full auto weapon, you don't fish with explosives and you don't jack light deer. Just a few things that have kept hunting and fishing available.
Without rules the American Bison all but disappeared, passenger pigeons didn't make it.
I've heard that there were wood land bison and elk wiped out east of the Mississippi by unrestrained hunting.
Following the rules and GHP's (good hunting practices) are what keep hunting and fishing available.
Breaking the law shows a disrespect for the sport, the other hunters and the game.
And you should be fined and kept out of the woods and waters and the company of real sportsmen.

i live close, in luzerne county and someone baiting so close gets me pissed. huntin right around there leagslly and not gettin anything while someone cheats and gets a trophy

I am staying away from any possibility of a baiting debate. Suffice it to say that some states allow it, some don't and his state is one of the don'ts.
If he is guilty, there are consequences and that is the law.
Just curious about how much weight the bear could have gained since July if it had eaten at McDonald's? :-)

I have no problems with baiting/dogs whatever. Just follow the laws for your area. If you break the law you are bringing negative attention to a sport that seems to never get any positive attention. It is guys like this that the anti's jump on and make us all look like a'holes