Cheap Shot: Local man admits to luring dozens of bears with donuts
Jul 17, 2012, 6:35 AM | Updated: 9:19 am
A still photo captured by his own surveillance camera shows James Erickson using donuts to bait bears outside his Central Washington cabin. (Image courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife via KING 5)
An Eatonville man is in jail for using donuts to lure
bears to his cabin, where he’d shoot them while lounging
in an Adirondack chair on his porch.
State Fish and Wildlife officers say James Erickson, 52,
pleaded guilty Friday to running a big bear bating
operation out of his cabin in the woods between Winthrop
and Mazama.
Officer Dan Christensen says Erickson would visit the
cabin every two weeks and put out dozens of donuts and
other food scraps to lure the bears, KING 5 reports.
“We had at one time I think 12 bears coming to the site
during that same time,” said Christensen. “They really
love a donut more than they fear humans.”
Christensen says Erickson used a high-tech set of cameras
to monitor and track the bears, then his friends and him
would use the footage to stalk and often kill bears right
in his own back yard. The pictures of Erickson piling up
dozens of donuts helped lead to his conviction.
“They had a chair that they kind of designated the bear
hunting chair,” says Christensen. “It’s kind of a fair
chase issue. It’s not very sporting to put that bait out.”
Erickson pleaded guilty to 14 counts of bear baiting. He
was sentenced to 180 days jail, but most of the time is
suspended. He’ll likely spend a total of six days behind
bars.
