George Skelton: Let loose the dogs of bear hunting

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Black bears are spreading throughout California, and George Skelton says that more hunting is needed to bring the population under control.

To help, he says, Gov. Jerry Brown should veto ‘a fuzzy-headed bill’ (SB 1221) that would ban the use of dogs to hound bears and bobcats.

‘Bears are wreaking havoc, especially in the mountains,’ he writes. ‘They’re not cute or cuddly. They’re criminal and too coddled.’

Skelton says using dogs can actually make killing bears more humane, helping hunters avoid killing female bears or merely wounding the animal, causing it to die more slowly.

‘If dogs chase the animal up a tree, the hunter has a close-up, point-blank shot and a quick kill,’ he says.

All of Skelton’s columns are here.

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