Fish and Game agency reverses recommendations on bear hunting

After receiving a lot of feedback from the public, the California Department of Fish and Game decided Tuesday afternoon to reverse its call for expanding state bear hunting and recommend that no changes be made.

The department had previously recommended that the Fish and Game Commission expand bear hunting in Lassen and Modoc counties and allow bear hunting for the first time in San Luis Obispo County.

Department officials also had suggested eliminating the cap on bear kills – currently set at 1,700 per season – and allowing hunters to put collars with GPS tracking devices on their hounds. They reversed their stance after both the department and the commission were deluged with public comments, to which they are in the process of responding. State law requires that those written responses be made before any final action is taken – and a vote is scheduled for tomorrow.

The bear hunting proposals are one part of a package of proposed mammal-hunting changes. Postponing that vote "would put the rest of the big-game season in jeopardy," said Adrianna Shea, the commission's deputy executive director.

Shea would not predict whether the commission would follow the department's revised recommendation of maintaining the status quo on bear hunting. "There have been cases where the commission has not followed the recommendation of the department. I would hate to call it on this one," she said.

-- Carla Hall

Photo: A black bear in the foothills above Monrovia. Credit: Rudy Libra

Comments

[Carlyn]

testing 123 free speech for me!

[LPB]

Well, after all, what would DFG know compared to a bunch of housewives who think bears are cuddly?

[S. Smith]

I think that is great that the department would not ignore the will of the public. I had my doubts about them, but maybe there is some hope for them after all.

[Uncommon Sense]

If the bears were in their backyards they would want something done about it especially if fluffy was attacked or eaten by one of those cute black bears.

[rob]

we all know that 1,700 bears/yr culled is remarkably low. That number doesnt take into account all of the poaching that goes on from the asian and even the slavic communitees. Specifially, the Chinese, Hmung, Korean and Vietnamese and even Russians that prize the gall bladders as a sexual and healing aid. Dried Gall bladders in asia and even in the US can go for many thousands of dollars. Next to pot in California. Illegal trafficking in animal parts is the next highest money making activity in California. That raise in the legal bear cull would probably also induce a greater rise in illegal bear gallbladder poachers. I'm glad that the DFG changed their mind. Now if they could only hire 300 more Game Wardens. 192 Wardens to patrol all of Californias land, rivers , lakes and coastline waters is a total joke. Good going Arnold! Some green governor you turned out to be.

[Ren]

Real men fight bears hand to hand with knives not guns. Come on all you gun toting so called men. Let’s see it on youtube.

[LEE JACOBS]

THE CALIF F&G HAS BECOME WAY TO MUCH LIKE THE MORONS THAT ARE RUNNING THE ST OF CALIF INTO THE GROUND. THEY RECENTLY ACCEPTED MONEY FROM THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IN EVERYTHING THIS GROUP DOES OR STANDS FOR IS TOTALLY OPPOSED OF SPORTS HUNTING OR FISHING. CALIF F&G CONTINUES TO BE PUSHED DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THE CORNER BY THE LIBERALS LEADERS.

[Molon Labe]

I for one am a hunter but does not hunt bear and nor do I believe that bears should be hunted just for their gall bladder that the Asian people dry and eat it or just for their fur. I think that allowing the hunters who by way hunt with too many dogs in violation of the hunting laws which scare away deer during the same season. I would hope the DFG does not allow hunters dogs to wear GPS devices and NOT up the quota for bear hunts. The reason bears are coming down from the wilderness areas is because the forest is burned. Duh. If the forestry department would have controlled burns during the spring season this would not happen and if the environmentalist would stop the lawsuits from doing controlled burns would stop all this. You people who are in charge of the forests are idiots. Do you remember when the wild goats were removed from Catalina Island? Yes what happened? The fire ravaged the Island, remember. If you think you are managing the forests, your wrong, you know nothing until you do controlled burns, then the animals, deer, bear, squirrels, rats, mice, bees, rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, birds, including the bald eagle, quail, dove etc will have a much nicer more habitable place to survive. Do what is right not what people say in letters on a piece of paper. No paper or agreements is worth anything but rather actions speak louder. Please for GODS sake do the right thing for once.

[dschnizzz]

Boy do I feel ignorant. I didn't even know we allow hunting of bears in California after how well we managed the Grizzly Bear population... Hopefully DFG makes a law that the hunter has to eat everything he shoots. =)

Uncommon Sense, if you don't like bears... DON'T MOVE TO BEAR COUNTRY.

[Chris]

Why not keep the quota as it is? Expanding this quota would make no sense unless Fish and Game wants to more or less get rid of the bears, for which there may be many reasons. One of which is that they need not spend any money on bear management if the bears are gone. Another is to open land for development. Do not forget that government agencies let the Station Fire burn because they wanted to spend less money in the Angeles National Forest; so now we have a huge wasted area worthless for tourism. Watch out for hidden agendas in government. They are there as often as not.