College mascot who killed bear with musket ..

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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.

The 24-year-old Franklin resident accompanied more than a dozen friends and family on the trip in Pendleton County. In the video, Kimble is shown firing the musket at the bear in a tree.

"Let's go Mountaineers!" Kimble yells afterward. He also posted a photo of himself with the bear on Twitter.

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

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

College mascot who killed bear with musket cited for failure to wear orange