{"id":256921,"date":"2026-09-28T14:49:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=256921"},"modified":"2026-09-29T14:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T19:57:47","slug":"homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">3<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Connecticut homeowner called state authorities after shooting a black bear in his backyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now he is facing a criminal charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Gero, 39, told investigators the bear had broken into an enclosure and killed several chickens. He reportedly saw the bear eating one before he fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gero also believes the same bear killed his goats in August, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfsb.com\/2026\/09\/28\/granby-homeowner-charged-killing-bear-eating-chickens-sparks-debate-over-ct-bear-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\" title=\"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens\"><em>WFSB<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Homeowner charged for killing bear in Granby\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xkqg62Q3g2Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-he-reported-the-shooting\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">He Reported the Shooting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident happened Friday at Gero\u2019s property in Granby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gero contacted the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection after killing the animal. Environmental Conservation Police investigated and cited him for illegally taking a black bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The charge may carry up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine for a first offense under Connecticut law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gero is expected to appear in Torrington Superior Court in early October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was not his first close encounter with a bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>WFSB<\/em> interviewed Gero in 2024 after another bear attacked one of his goats. Gero said he struck that animal with a branch and chased it into the woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-connecticut-law-draws-a-fine-line\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Connecticut Law Draws a Fine Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connecticut law allows someone to kill a bear when that person reasonably believes it threatens serious bodily harm to a human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deadly force is also allowed when a bear attacks a legally controlled pet or enters an occupied building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, chickens and goats kept as livestock do not necessarily qualify as protected pets under that provision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/ptr-9kt-mp5k-build\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\" title=\"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens\">PTR 9KT MP5K Build: My $5,008 Dream Gun<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">State law instead directs livestock owners toward Connecticut\u2019s agricultural damage permit process. That process requires property owners to try nonlethal measures first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They must then consult a DEEP wildlife biologist. The agency must approve a permit before the owner can legally kill a damaging bear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That distinction sits at the center of the controversy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bear was reportedly inside Gero\u2019s enclosure and actively feeding on one of his chickens. Yet the law appears to treat that situation differently from an attack on a household pet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-residents-question-the-charge\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Residents Question the Charge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The case drew thousands of comments after <em>WFSB<\/em> shared it online. Many commenters argued that Gero should have been allowed to protect his animals on his property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Granby Town Manager Mike Walsh also expressed sympathy for Gero. He suggested lawmakers should review the statute and that DEEP should provide communities with better guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DEEP said the bear was not tagged and that the agency knew of no other reported attacks connected to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The facts will now move into court. The larger question may eventually land with state lawmakers: How long must a property owner wait while a bear kills his livestock?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Self-defense doesn\u2019t end when the threat goes down. That\u2019s when the real battle begins. Lawyers. Prosecutors. Headlines. USCCA Members never fight that battle alone.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.deltadefense.com\/offers\/?tID=68c088a02cce2&amp;utm_campaign=guns+america+sponsored+article+2&amp;utm_source=web+banner&amp;utm_medium=media+buy&amp;utm_content=direct+sales\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\" title=\"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Find out how.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\" title=\"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Connecticut homeowner called state authorities after shooting a black bear in his backyard.  Now he is facing a criminal charge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":256937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"manual","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,291,607],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":["post-256921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-buzz","tag-dgu","tag-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Connecticut homeowner faces charges after shooting a black bear that reportedly killed his chickens and may have attacked his goats.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/homeowner-charged-after-shooting-bear-eating-chickens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Homeowner Charged After Shooting Bear Eating Chickens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Connecticut homeowner called state authorities after shooting a black bear in his backyard. 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