Stearns Outfitters Wyoming
Elk
I posted this in the Wyo page as well: Bowsite Community,
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/outfitter-investigated-for-animal-cruelty/article_e8d313de-5198-53cc-929b-87b2438aaef5.html
Some of you may not be aware of a situation that happened last week involving Stearns Outfitters out of Wyoming. Long story short, he was charged with animal cruelty after one of his horses was tied up for multiple hours and tortured. It later died of exhaustion. If you dont have FB, feel free to google it and learn about the incident. in 2015 he was charged for a similar incident involving the way he interacted with his horses.
As hunters, many of us are horseman as well. I dont think anyone here can deny what he did was completely unnecessary and should not be tolerated. Likewise, if he is willing to treat one of his animals like this, he would have no problem doing it to all his horses and likely already has and no one saw it happen. I post here today and encourage anyone who has used, planned to use, or even knows Stearns Outfitters to rethink that decision to support his outfitting business moving forward. Feel free to call his business and let him know how you feel about his actions. 307-733-9434.
I hadn't heard about this, but my experience is that a man who would do such a thing -- well, it's not the first time, nor is it limited to horses. As a horseman, I've seen "stupid" and I've seen "cruel", and the people who act like that, well, they are "stupid" and "cruel" most everywhere else, too. Dangerous people.
WOW.... just read the article... Unbelievable, I can't imagine a creep doing this to his horse .... It sours my stomach to think what he did.... My only hope is and for the justice for the helpless horse is that he gets run out of business and thrown in jail , and while the coward is in jail, he gets what he deserves ....
I'm not a horseman, but that video was horrible. What exactly was he trying to accomplish with this? An article I read said it's some sort of training practice.?
Is there a different article? The one posted says he wasn't charged. Says sheriff came out witnessed it and concluded that what he was doing was legal. Says they are investigating because the horse later died.
I'm not defending the guy but I'm not jumping on the bandwagon to condemn him til more info is available.
Really, Aspen??? F That! I would gladly stick an ice pick in that pricks throat and not lose a minutes sleep! There is a time and a place for disciplining and animal, but to be outright cruel is not excusable! It reminds me of the old time bird dog trainers that would wrap birds in barbed wire so their dogs wouldn't bite them to hard or a cattle prod on a difficult dogs junk... yes that really happened a lot!... ABUSE IS ABUSE!!! It isn't right!
OK, I'm off my soap box:/
You might have more info than me Scar Finga. I've only read the attached article. Haven't seen any video/pics nor any specific factual info regarding the alleged cruelty. The horse died so definitely worth investigating. But in general guys don't intentionally harm their expensive horses so I will wait for the sheriff to do his job.
My reluctance is because many folks would label bow hunting as cruel and would describe castrating and branding calves cruel too. One can describe many events in different ways for maximum emotional impact. So far the sheriff hasn't found that any cruelty occurred. He likely has the true facts about it. What the media publishes is often factually faulty and written for maximum emotional impact, i.e. clickbait.
Aspen, You are right in saying he wasnt charged yet I believe. I have seen it both ways as charged and also just being investigated because of the death. I agree most of the articles are written as "clickbait" for emotions but I have yet to see an "expert" or anyone with experience with horses defend Stearns training or video as being commonplace. So far I believe the only explanation Stearns has given was that he was trying to shoe the horse and the horse wasnt cooperating so he tied it up and "dropped it" so he could get the job done. He neglects to explain why the horse had a pack saddle on and why the horse was bleeding, sweated and struggled for hours. Very strange for sure why someone who depended on his horses to make a living would treat them this way. Im usually not one to get tied up in all the negative media that is skewed towards people emotions but as a horseman and outdoorsman, the thought of being associated with this guy in the hunting industry didnt sit well. Unfortunately im sure nothing will come of it and animal cruelty in WY is merely a misdemeanor. Stearns will be back to business as usual within days. Best case other local outfitters in the Jackson area will stand up and do what they can to make sure his business suffers.
I have seen many horses that had to have a leg tied up in order to trim or shoe one but not like this guy did. Now days if you have a horse that you can't shoe you call a farrier and have the horse sedated while he shoes him. The horse will just stand there in happy land while the farrier trims and puts shoes on him. Guy is probably to cheap to buy the sedative.
You can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his animals. This dude has no integrity! I wouldn't hunt his outfit if HE was paying ME!!
There is a great body of evidence out there that shows a very strong correlation between people who willingly and repeatedly commit acts of extreme animal cruelty that ends with the animals death just for the sake of doing it and their propensity to eventually do the same things to people. Regardless people such as this aren't persons to be considered anything approaching normal and should be at the vary least considered potentially dangerous to others.
I cannot see the video. Nor am I a horse person. But from everything I read about this (And his history), this guy is a bad actor. Let the law process play itself out. As a parallel, I would think the WYO Outfitter Association would not want this outfit associated with reputable outfitters/business owners.
I look at it from the public viewpoint (IE Non hunting public). Individuals like him taint the industry. Much like the few slob hunters skew the public's view of all hunters.
I have not seen the video, and am not a horseman, so I cannot comment on what he did or didn't do. I will say that he has not been charged, the sheriff indicated his "training methods" are not against the law, and I distinctly remember a certain dentist that got railroaded last year.
Maybe some of you have seen the video and can make your own conclusions.
