Two College Kids Skinned a Black Bear in Their Dorm

College dorm rooms are built for ramen packets, loud music, and maybe sneaking in a goldfish. But two college students in New York took it much further. They killed a 120-pound black bear and skinned it in their dorm room.

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The students were in the clear legally, according to NBC News. They had hunting licenses, and the bear was taken off campus on public land open to hunting. Still, complaints poured in when word spread that a couple of kids had turned their hallway into a meat locker.

Montana’s Campus Bears

Here in Montana, it’s not unusual to see a black bear roaming the University of Montana or Montana State University. Fish, Wildlife & Parks has made it clear: you can’t shoot a bear on campus. But if you’ve got a valid tag and you’re on public land where hunting is open, that’s a different story.

Even so, most of us can agree that dragging a whole bear carcass into the dorms for processing is a stretch. I lived in the dorms at UM, and as a hunter myself, I can’t imagine skinning out a black bear in a room small enough for only a futon and mini-fridge. Venison steaks, maybe. But a bear hide tacked to your RA’s corkboard? That’s next level.

College Kids and Common Sense

Nobody broke the law, and no charges were filed in New York. But there’s a difference between legal and smart. In Montana, we respect the hunt and the people who share a hallway with us. Best to save the butchering for the professional meat cutters and taxidermists. Or at least until you’ve got a garage of your own.