OCALA, Fla. (WOGX FOX 51) -
A Lake County man accused of shooting and killing a black bear with a bow and arrow tells us he did it to protect his family.
"I told them I did shoot the bear, or whatever because they've been harassing my family," said J.C. Calton of Umatilla.
Calton admits to Fox 35 that he used a bow and arrow to shoot a black bear in his front yard last week.
"As far as the safety of my family or children, I'll do what I have to do," Calton said.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Calton lured the bear with dog food and corn, shot it with a bow and arrow then used his pick up truck to dump the bear off in the Ocala National Forest near his Umatilla home, known as bear country.
Calton says he should have notified authorities and says he didn't lure the bear but rather it was attracted to the garbage in his truck, when he says it started bothering his family, he couldn't bear to risk it.
"I finally just said if they come in the yard again, I'm going to try and at least scare him off," Calton said.
Calton was cited for attracting and killing a bear, but says his goal wasn't to kill it and his priority was the safety of his young children.
"I didn't use a firearm or nothing like that, that's a primitive weapon, and like I said, I didn't even really intend on killing it, but that's what happened, that was the outcome," Calton said.
Calton says Florida Fish and Wildlife took away his bow and arrow, he's due in Marion County Court Sept. 10.
