Carrabelle man shoots bear, is immediately arrested
News Release
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Media contact: Stan Kirkland, 850-265-3676
A Franklin County man was arrested Oct. 22 and
charged with killing a black bear after a Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) investigator saw him shoot the animal
with a bow and arrow.
Black bears are classified as a threatened species
in Florida and are fully protected. There is no open season
for the taking of bears.
Gene Strickland (DOB 08/23/51), a dock builder and
fishing guide from Carrabelle, was charged with one count of
killing a black bear - a felony - and taken to the Franklin County
Jail, according to FWC Investigator Eric Johnston.
Strickland's bow and arrow were seized as evidence.
Johnston said the 175-pound female ran only 50 feet
from Strickland's tree stand after it was shot.
The bear was shot on private property near the St.
James Golf Course at Lanark Village. Strickland is one of
several hunters who hunt the property.
Persons with Disabilities