WVU MASCOT CITED WVU Mountaineer Mascot Cited For Failure To Wear Blaze Orange While Hunting
Reported by: Associated Press
Web Producer: Jeff Morris
Reported: Dec. 7, 2012 12:16 PM EST
Updated: Dec. 12, 2012 10:04 AM EST
Photo Courtesy of WVU Mascot Twitter Page
Morgantown, Monongalia
, West Virginia
West Virginia University Mountaineer Jonathan Kimble has been cited for failure to wear blaze orange when he killed a bear with the musket that's part of his costume.
Division of Natural Resources spokesman Hoy Murphy says hunters are required to wear 400 square inches of the high-visibility color for safety reasons. Kimble wasn't wearing orange when he shot the black bear Dec. 3.
The kill was legal but triggered a public outcry after Kimble posted a video online.
Kimble has since agreed to stop hunting with the musket.
Kimble has until Dec. 26 to enter a plea in Pendleton County Magistrate Court. He faces a fine of up to $50, plus court costs.
The musket can fire ammunition but fires only gunpowder at WVU events.
Kimble didn't immediately comment Wednesday.
West Virginia University has ordered its musket-toting mascot to stop using his university-issued weapon on hunting trips after an online video showed him killing a black bear.
Jonathan Kimble accompanied more than a dozen friends and family members in the woods of Pendleton County on Monday. In the video, Kimble is shown firing the muzzle-loaded long gun at the bear in a tree.
WVU spokesman John Bolt says officials spoke to Kimble about the incident, but that Kimble broke no laws.
Kimble didn't immediately return a telephone message Friday. But he told the Charleston Daily Mail he'll abide by the school's edict.
The WVU mascot wears buckskin and a coonskin cap and fires the musket -- minus ammunition -- at home athletic events and school-sponsored events.
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Associated Press
