Spring bear hunt is back in Utah after a 14-year absence

[Thom Little]

Utah Wildlife Board members Thursday reinstated a controversial statewide spring bear hunt after a 14-year absence, saying females should not be overly affected, as once feared.

Concerns that too many females were being killed in the spring, leaving orphan cubs, led the state to drop the hunt after the 1992 season. But the results of a five-year study showed that was not the case, officials said.

"We conducted the study to confirm what we always suspected, but were unable to back up with research," said Kevin Bunnell, nongame coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). "The most responsible way to manage a wildlife population is to protect the female portion and that is why we recommended going back to the spring hunt."

.......

Hunt critics at the meeting voiced their concern about returning to a spring hunt, or about offering a bear hunt at all.

"I'm here representing the bears. I oppose the bear hunt in any size, shape, form or method. It is not necessary to hunt bears in Utah," said Cheryl Smith, of Salt Lake City. "The bear is my natural resource, too."


http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3376231

[Botany]

1. Why can't "they" wait till fall?

And I am a deer hunter too




What the hell do you do with a dead bear?

[MasonJar]

2. I despise anyone who kills an animal for pleasure. I'm sorry if

that offends some of you, but what right do we have to enjoy ourselves by killing (for the fun of it) another living creature? I do not countenance any of the hunters' excuses.

[jessicazi]

3. Agreed.

I don't get why people enjoy killing animals...

[Momgonepostal]

4. Do people eat bear meat?

I personally wouldn't want to go hunting and kill an animal, but I don't think hunting for food is on lower moral ground that buying meat at the grocery store. Still I have a tough time imagining a 2006 Utahn killing a bear primarily for the meat.