West Virginia University tells mascot to stop using musket that's part of his costume for hunting after he's filmed slaying black bear



West Virginia University has ordered its mascot to stop using the musket that's part of his costume on hunting trips after a video showing him killing a black bear circulated online.



Jonathan Kimble, 24, wears buckskin and a coonskin cap and fires the musket - minus ammunition - at home athletic events and school-sponsored events in his role as the Mountaineer.



He also says that hunting with the university-issued gun is a Mountaineer mascot tradition - one he enacted during a trip with a dozen friends and family in Pendleton County on Monday.

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Banned: Jonathan Kimble, the mascot for WVU, is pictured with a bear he killed with his college-issued musket

In a video of the hunting trip that was posted online, Kimble is shown firing the musket at the bear high in a tree before screaming in celebration: 'Let's go Mountaineers!'

He is filmed waving the weapon in the air over the slain animal, and posted a photo of himself with the bear on Twitter. Yet while Kimble was clearly proud of his actions, the college was not so enthusiastic.

Mascot: Kimble is seen as the WVU Mountaineer during a game with the University of Maryland

'While Jonathan Kimble's actions broke no laws or regulations, the university has discussed this with him, and he agrees that it would be appropriate to forego using the musket in this way in the future,' WVU spokesman John Bolt said.

The move came after the video was circulated online and while Kimble admitted he had reservations about it being spread, he defended the tradition on Friday.



He said he has been hunting all his life and the black bear, which weighed 150 pounds, was the first he's ever killed. He said his friends have congratulated him for that.

'Hunting can be a controversial topic,' Kimble said. 'I apologize to any of those who took offense to the video. It definitely wasn't my intent to offend anybody.'

Kimble said he taking the musket on hunting trips has become a tradition with the mascots.

'Other Mountaineers have gone and shot multiple deer with it before. I've taken it with me deer hunting before, also.'

But he also distanced himself from the video, which has received more than 20,000 views on YouTube.

He learned that it had been uploaded while he was at the WVU vs. Marshall women's basketball game in Charleston and, on realising it could be criticised, asked his friends to take it down.

Yet the video still remained online on Friday afternoon.

'I didn't edit it, upload it, or use any kind of social media to endorse or support that video,' he said.

Despite the bear being over the legal weight for a kill, Kimble also came under fire for failing to follow proper procedure by not wearing blaze orange. But some WVU fans stood behind him.

Hunt: In the video posted online, Kimble is seen using the rifle to shoot a black bear down from a tree, right



Celebration: Kimble, who said it is tradition to use the gun, waves the weapon over the dead bear's body

'This is a smart young man from West Virginia who did nothing wrong, who was celebrating who he is,' said Robert Hickman, who holds two degrees from WVU.

'If you're from West Virginia and you love the outdoors, or if you hunt or don't hunt, or if you fish or don't fish, it is a celebration of this state. As a former WVU graduate, I'm thrilled to death with him. Happy as can be.'

The Mountaineer mascot first appeared at athletic events in the 1936-1937 school year. The Mountaineer is selected each year and the mascot's outfit is custom tailored to fit the winner.

Last February, the bearded Kimble was chosen from among 13 applicants.

VIDEO: WVU mascot filmed killing black bear with university musket