Ex-NHLer sparks outrage after posting photos of grizzly bear he killed
An ex-NHL hockey player is in hot water with many fans online, after posting photos from a recent hunting trip in the Yukon.
Tim Brent, a veteran of 207 NHL games with the Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes was big game hunting.
Clearly an avid hunter, the 34-year-old native of Cambridge, Ontario either didn’t know or didn’t care about the backlash he’d receive.
Alright folks, here is my Mountain Grizzly! We put an awesome stalk on him but he spotted us at about 75 yards. Instead of taking off he turned and came right at us. It was very easy to tell this boar owned the valley we were hunting in and wasn’t scared of anything! When he… pic.twitter.com/CkgybKe5Mc
— Tim Brent (@Brenter37) September 10, 2018
There’s an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 grizzlies living in the Yukon. I won’t get into the complex laws governing hunting in the territory, but it is possible to kill a grizzly bear legally there, and there’s no indication that Brent broke any laws. He also appears to keep the meat, rather than merely hunting for sport.
Lots of you guessed it!
Moose and Grizzly Bear are the 2 tags I was able to cut in the Yukon!
Did you know on average a single Grizzly eats around 40 Moose and Caribou calves during each calving season?Lots of you guessed it!
Moose and Grizzly Bear are the 2 tags I was ab… pic.twitter.com/wm1xexT1Ty— Tim Brent (@Brenter37) September 10, 2018
But for many, hunting is not a question of legality, it’s one of morality.
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking it was a shame he didn’t catch you first.
— Robyn Schönhofer (@talkRobyn) September 17, 2018
People here arguing that ‘Grizzly bears need to be culled’ – assuming that is true (hmmm…), then why do the hunters have to take selfies? This is never about ‘protecting’ people from animals – it is all just about ego.
— Learn To Be Vegan (@honest_warrior) September 12, 2018
Do you not think it’s crazy that such a magnificent specimen owned the valley, fending off challengers and hunting to survive then suddenly you came along and ended his life for sport?
— Andy Lowe (@AndySlow) September 17, 2018
You are disgusting.
— Jennie Bond (@jenniebond1) September 18, 2018
Awesome stalk ?
What is an awesome stalk ?
What is awesome is that your picture is now out there.
And hopefully people will put an awesome stalk on you.
Twitter do your thing.He was defending his territory.
And your an asshole.
— Farmer Joe (@plantman1958) September 18, 2018
You’re gross. That animal was majestic.
— Greg Essig (@gregessig) September 14, 2018
Brent wasn’t shy about sharing photos from his trip, including another one of his conquests:
MY YUKON MOOSE
I am absolutely humbled by this animal. We all have times we hunt hard and don’t get rewarded, and then every once in awhile we get lucky and are in the right place at the right time (having a pretty awesome father-in-law doesn’t hurt either!). The stars defi… pic.twitter.com/UXvA0CbnUw— Tim Brent (@Brenter37) September 12, 2018
This story will remind many of another hockey player – David Booth – who was criticized harshly for bear-baiting while a member of the Vancouver Canucks in 2012.
Like Booth, Brent doesn’t seem to care about what other people think of him, telling one Twitter user: “If they don’t like me because I am a hunter, I would have never been worried about them liking me in the first place.”