Ducks' Clayton Stoner Facing Charges For Killing A Grizzly Bear Named 'Cheeky' In 2013

Fox Sports- In 2013, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner killed Cheeky the bear in a trophy hunt. Stoner was even photographed posing with Cheeky's severed head.

Two years later, Stoner is facing five different charges related to British Columbia's Wildlife Act after killing the grizzly bear, from the Vancouver Sun:

The B.C.-born Stoner is charged with two counts of making a false statement to obtain a licence on May 22, 2013, as well as one count of hunting without a licence, one count of hunting wildlife out of season, and one count of unlawful possession of dead wildlife - the latter three offences allegedly taking place on May 28, 2013. Stoner is scheduled to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Oct. 9.



Here I was, all set to lay into Clayton Stoner. Not for killing a wild animal, but for making a skeptical of himself by publishing the photo on social media. Well, it's a good thing I did some digging/actually read the whole story before I started the blog, because if there is anyone being wronged here it's Clayton Stoner, not the bear whose head he is showing off. 

This picture is from 2013. Isn't there a statue of limitations on these things? Pressing charges against people for hunting wild animals for sport is a 2015 thing. In 2013 it was just considered something that weird, socially isolated people that grew up in West Virginia or British Columbia did for fun. In 2013 it was just a 'to each his own' situation. You want to hunt bears named 'Cheeky' or lions named 'Cecil' then have at it, just keep away from society while doing it. Now, all the sudden, because the outrage surrounding killing animals with names has grown we are allowed to retroactively prosecute NHL players that have spent their entire lives hunting wild game? Hey, if you want to tell me the Doctor who decided to become a big game hunter on a whim, and shelled out $30,000 grand to have a lion chased from it's protective habitat in order to be murdered deserves what's coming to him then I agree with you. However, a Canadian hockey player that grew up entrenched in that very culture is where I draw the line. Trying to arrest Clayton Stoner for a bear head in 2013 is like trying to arrest a grandmother for the racial slurs she used in the 80's. What's next? We going to shame people for their LGBT intolerant Facebook statuses from 2007? We going to sue Toys'R'Us for the gender specific toys that they sold in 2002? Boycott 'Target' for not having a transgender friendly bathroom in 2010? These are all new things that we have decided are extremely offensive to us, as a collective, over the last 12 months. Clayton Stoner has been grandfathered into this lifestyle, so unless he starts making a mockery of modern societal norms by Instagramming every predator he's ever slain then let him live his life free of persecution. You know, just like every single other demographic that has cried discrimination since the last time the ball dropped.

P.S. All Clayton Stoner's should be allowed to kill whatever wildlife they want. It's actually a miracle this guy is that good at hockey, because he was named with a hunting professional in mind.