Ignorance of the law or rules has never been a valid defense. That being said, I still agree with you that the Fish and Game folks were out of line. This is most likely a 1st offense and the fact that others on the party had tags to offer should have been enough to get the kid a warning. I wonder if the game officers were taking it out on the kid because it was a small bear. I've never hunted bears, but from what I've read, 200lbs is quite small.

Anyhow, the sad thing is that this is one youth that now has a pretty sour taste in his mouth about hunting. We need to encourage youngsters to join our ranks. Point out his mistake, he'll learn from it, and become a better hunter. Instead, he might quit hunting and plop his ass infront of a video game or worse get into trouble. Just plain stupid to bust his butt so hard about it.

I do have 1 beef. Why didnt dad read the Regs and the tag a little better? You cant expect a 11 or 12 year old to understand all that stuff. Its the mentors responsibilty to provide the knowledge.

Just my .02.