Labelling the practice of modern spear hunting as “archaic” and “unacceptable,” the government on Monday condemned the actions of hunter Josh Bowmar and asked fish and wildlife officers to investigate the incident to determine if charges were warranted. The YouTube video, posted June 5, that shows Bowmar’s hunt (believed to be near Swan Hills, about two hours north of Edmonton) has been viewed more than 200,000 times, with many viewers, even some hunters, denouncing the kill as “barbaric” and “unnecessary.” By late Monday afternoon, the video had been removed from public viewing. “I just did something that I don’t think anybody in the world has ever done,” an elated Bowmar tells the camera after launching a spear about 10 to 12 metres into the side of a mature black bear that had been attracted to a bait bin. A large black bear was drawn to the area through what is known as bear baiting, where food is placed near a waiting hunting party. "He's going down, I drilled him perfect," Bowmar joyously exclaims after the spear lodges in the bear's side. That was the longest throw I ever thought I could ever make,” Bowmar tells the camera. We have no shotguns within miles of here.” 
 
 Bowmar walks out to the spot, finds the spear and turns to the camera: “Oh yeah, I got mad penetration.” 
 
 The video cuts to the next day and shows part of the black bear’s intestines wrapped around low-hanging branches and Bowmar discovering the animal “60 to 70 yards” away from where it was first struck. A man identified as John on the video reasons that because of evidence of rigor mortis, “this bear died within seconds.” 
 
 Bowmar, who runs an Ohio-based fitness company, credits Swan Hills outfitter husband and wife team of John and Jenn Rivet with helping in the hunt. In a statement to CBC News, Bowmar said the bear "died immediately," adding the kill was "as humane and ethical as one could get in a hunting situation on big game animals." Bowmar told The Mirror on Monday that he cares about animals and considered it an ethical kill. On top of tasting amazing, it’s extremely nutritious for our bodies.” 
 
 Wayne Lowry, president of the Alberta Fish and Game Association, said it is uncommon for hunters to use spears and “because it is so uncommon, it’s never really had to be dealt with in the legislation, but knowing that it is being done in other countries and other jurisdictions, we figured it would show up here sooner or later.” 
 
 Lowry said there was nothing prohibiting the use of a spear because it fits into a broad definition that allows hunters to use anything “that is a legal weapon.” 
 
 That was until this video emerged. The Alberta government said Monday it is currently updating the province’s hunting regulations and promised to introduce a spear ban in the fall. "Since we want to promote the most ethical means of harvesting an animal as possible, I highly doubt that it's going to be a legal way of hunting in the future." “The common weaponry — firearms or bow — can effect a speedy death so they are not suffering unduly by being wounded.” 
 
 Lowry also said it was not illegal to leave an injured animal overnight but, “ideally you track and retrieve as soon as possible.” 
 
 Online outrage and death threats towards Bowmar and his 13-minute hunting video have closely mirrored that of when American dentist Walter Palmer shot and killed Cecil the lion in Africa in July 2015. Bowmar’s YouTube channel, Bowmar Bowhunting, has dozens of hunting videos showing him and wife, Sarah, hunting a wide variety of animals.
– Killing a bear with a hand-thrown spear isn't an everyday feat—but the government of Alberta, Canada, is not impressed by the prowess of American hunter Josh Bowmar. The government promised to introduce a ban on "archaic" and "unacceptable" hunting with spears after video surfaced of Bowmar, a former javelin athlete, killing a bear from more than 12 yards away with a 7-foot spear that had a GoPro camera attached, the Edmonton Journal reports. The wounded bear, which had been attracted by a bait bin, ran off. In a YouTube video that has now been taken offline, Bowmar says he returned the next day and found the body of the bear around 150 feet from where it was hit. The video sparked controversy—and lurid headlines like "Warped Hunter Kills Starving Bear with Seven Foot Homemade Spear" in British tabloids—not just for the manner of the kill, but for Bowmar's celebration, the CBC reports. "That's going to be some epic footage," he exclaims. "Yeah, I got mad penetration. That's a dead bear." The Humane Society of the US also weighed in, referring to the Ohio man as "this year's version of Walter Palmer," the American dentist who killed Cecil the Lion, notes the Dayton Daily News. Bowmar says he was surprised by the reaction. The kill was "as humane and ethical as one could get in a hunting situation on big game animals," he says, adding that "no one cares more about these animals than us hunters, especially me," and that the bear's hide and meat did not go to waste. (A California woman angered her neighbors by having a bear shot.)