Boont – [Fearsome Critter]

Description

Boont – [Fearsome Critter] – aka: Beer (bear+deer), Boontville Beer, Belk (bear+elk.) , Grizzly Deer, “Pacific Jackalope.”

• About this Critter: An antlered, bear-deer hybrid native to Boonville, California. It has traits of both the extinct Californian Grizzly and the Columbian Black Tail Deer, but can come in any color that a bear can naturally be! While it is much ‘Smarter than the average bear’ it enjoys being inebriated were in It can speak human languages, but then, only in the local boontling jargon. (which is now extinct as of 2025..)

• History: More often than not bears mixed with deer are the subject of “rouge taxidermy“; people have been sticking deer antlers on things that dont usually have ’em (see: “ass-squatch“) for a very long time, the idea of putting antlers on a bear is definitvely not specific to any particular place, and variations of bear-deer exist all around the world. however, in this rather unique case; The “boont” originates natively from the small town of Boonville California. – California was also known for having a ‘Grizzly bear problem’ during its founding which sadly resulted in the California Grizzly’s local extinction, (its one of the reasons why there’s a bear on their flag.) Incidentally it seems that is also likely the reason why North California has more than a few bear-critters!)

One can also read more about the “lost lingo” or “Jargon” known as “Boontling” in 1971 & 1990’s dictionary’s, there are also several documentaries on the subject that cover the location & the slangs history better than i possibly can. – The local lingo which is native to the small scottish-gaelic community was well known and spoken by many locals in the 1890s, but has sadly been in a sharp decline for years,  with less than a hundred people speaking it fluently today! (apparently it was considered extinct as of just last year in 2025! (incidentally, i began researching this critter in 2024.)

Of course the ‘Anderson Valley Brewing Company’ has also used a bear-deer named “barkley” as their mascot since their founding 1987, you can read more about the brew & their mascot over on their website.

[a generic “BEER” sticker]

[ Art sticker by @samkalensky, part of my Fearsome Critter collection of stickers!]