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Contributed Photo
Paulo Neves and the massive 604-pound bear he took down with a single Hoyt bow on November 11 in the Town of Bethel. Neves said he and three others were able to get the bear out of the woods by standing a four-wheeler up in the air and using a come-along cable to pull the bear onto the back platform of the four-wheeler.
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Story by Eli Ruiz
BETHEL — November 26, 2013 — Talk about a "big catch."
On November 11, late into the bow hunting season for the southern portions of New York State, Paulo Neves, owner of Artistic Creations taxidermy in Swan Lake, took down a massive 604 lb. black bear in the Bethel area.
Neves’ bear was felled from a too-close-for-comfort distance of just 19 yards with a single Hoyt bow.
Not one for wastefulness, Neves, who's in his 26th year in taxidermy and his seventh year in business in Swan Lake, said, "I salvaged every single inch of meat on the bear, trimmed all the fat off and plan to donate the meat to local families that I know need meat. I'll tell you, I never shoot or kill anything unless I'm using the whole of it. That's just how I do things."
As a big proponent of waste laws, Neves laments, "New York State has no waste laws and a lot of people kill deer and other game and just do absolutely nothing with them. I don't think that's right. We have plenty of feed the hungry programs around and I believe hunters should utilize them. You just drop off your catch with tags, and that's it. It's just that easy."
Neves has been fielding a lot of backlash on Facebook, where his wife recently posted a picture of the massive catch.
“A lot of people are saying I did this improperly, that I poached the bear," he said. "I own a taxidermy shop and hold various federal licenses. Why would I jeopardize my business, licenses and livelihood for an animal?"
Once he gives away all his recent catch's meat, Neves plans to process and mount the bear in his shop. So if you're looking for a professional mount job, or just want to get an up-close look at this massive bear, stop by Artistic Creations at 38 Eagle Drive in Swan Lake.
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