WVU mascot cited for failure to wear required blaze orange during black bear hunting trip

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A West Virginia University mascot who got in trouble for using his uniform musket to kill a bear has been cited for another problem — not wearing blaze orange during the bear hunt.

Mountaineers mascot Jonathan Kimble wears buckskin and a coonskin cap and fires the musket — loaded with black powder but minus ammunition — at home athletic events.

Kimble wasn’t wearing the required hunter orange when he shot a black bear Dec. 3. The kill was legal but triggered a public outcry after Kimble posted a video online.

State Division of Natural Resources spokesman Hoy Murphy says hunters are required to wear 400 square inches of the high-visibility colour for safety reasons.

Kimble has agreed to stop hunting with the musket. He didn’t immediately comment Wednesday.

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