Plenty of college kids sneak hot plates, mini fridges, or the occasional keg into their dorm rooms, but two Cornell University students raised the dorm-life bar by hauling in a black bear and turning the communal kitchen into a skinning shed.
The two students, who haven’t been identified, likely tagged the bear during New York’s early bear season in the state’s Southern Zone, which runs for 16 consecutive days beginning the first Saturday after Labor Day. But instead of heading for a garage or shed to do the processing, the duo hauled the carcass into Ganedago Hall on Saturday night. By the glow of the kitchen’s fluorescent lights, they started skinning, butchering, and packaging meat like it was just another day at hunting camp.
A complaint landed on campus officials’ desks late Sunday, and Cornell law enforcement opened a report, according to The Ithaca Voice. However, no charges were filed since, according to a statement from campus officials, no laws were broken. Just a couple of young hunters who figured the dorm kitchen was a better option than quartering their kill on the quad.
Still, the sight of a full-scale processing session where undergrads usually microwave ramen raised more than a few eyebrows. Cornell shut down the kitchen until further notice.
The story spread fast across campus and on social media. Some commenters were outraged.
“This is outrageous! If true, those students should be punished,” one person wrote on a social media post.
Others thought the whole thing was downright hilarious.
“A whole new meaning to BYOB.”
A few hunters cheered them on.
“If there's a student at Cornell University who actually has the skill to skin a bear and has the balls to do it, then I have a renewed hope for the future with the current generation!”
For outdoorsmen, the only surprise here was the location. Skinning a bear is far from delicate work. It’s messy, time-consuming, and usually involves a shed, garage, or backyard. These two went with stainless steel countertops instead.
New York’s black bear population is thriving. Biologists estimate between 6,000 and 8,000 bears in huntable areas, and hunters tagged 1,685 bears statewide in 2024, according to harvest data released by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Bear meat is dark, rich, and often compared to pork. Properly handled, it makes excellent sausage, roasts, and some mean chili. Improperly handled, it can make your roommate move out.
It’s not clear what the students plan to do with the hide, but odds are good it’ll end up as a rug, a mount, or at the very least, a story starter at every tailgate for the next 30 years. Either way, these two just secured their place in Cornell campus lore.
In the end, no wildlife laws were broken, no one was hurt, and a couple of young hunters will graduate with one helluva story. You can call it poor judgment in regards to location, but it’s hard not to give kudos to a couple of college kids who decided to skip the dining hall’s taco night and harvest their own free-range game meat instead.
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