OPPONENTS WRESTLING N.Y. ABOUT BEAR HUNT!!!

[LifeNRA]

October 27, 2004 -- THE mere mention of black bears always seems to conjure up bad news for local and state governments that seem to be in protracted battles with animal rights groups and hunters.
In New Jersey, the antis have created an ongoing bear soap opera involving the state's DEP commissioner as well as the governor, who has sided with the antis and is trying to stop bear hunting this season in the face of lawsuits recently filed by sportsmen's groups.

Now the so-called animal rights groups are gearing up for another battle against the Pataki administration in New York, which wants to expand black bear hunting in the state for the 2005 season.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting public comments until Monday on its proposal to open up all or part of Delaware, Broome, Allegany, Livingston, Wyoming, Schoharie, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties for black bear hunting, which is currently permitted in all or part of 22 counties.

The plan to expand bear hunting is drawing predictable heat from animal rights groups.

The state estimates there are between 5,000 and 6,000 black bears in New York. The numbers of bears taken by hunters has more than doubled in recent years, from 722 in 1994 to 1,864 in the 2003 hunting season.

Also on the increase are human-bear conflicts, especially in the areas where an expansion of hunting is being proposed. Black bears are causing damage to crops and private property.

"The proposed regulation is necessary to effectively protect both the public and the health of the bear population in the areas where the expansion is proposed," said DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren.

The most dramatic of the bear-human encounters occurred in August 2002, when an infant was knocked out of her baby stroller in the Catskills and dragged into the woods by a 150-pound black bear. The girl died of head and neck injuries.

The antis say that if you educated people, there would not be any problems with bears.



They also assert that the real motive behind the proposed expansion is to sell more hunting licenses — which is far from the truth. Expanding bear hunting will not sell one more big-game license — only expand opportunities to the hunters who are already licensed.

The antis have even gotten "Law and Order" star Jerry Orbach to give a statement opposing the bear hunt expansion. Last I checked, Orbach was an actor; a very good actor, granted, but not a wildlife biologist.

[fisherguy]

Either they are way off on their population estimates or the harvest numbers are wrong. If they are taking 1800 bears a year out of a population of 5000-6000 the bears would be gone!! Sows have cubs every second year at most, and a good survival rate is considered if a sow can raise 2 cubs every second year. CLearly if the range is expanding and conflict is increasing their numbers are way off. By there numbers the bears would be gone after 5 years. Sounds like they are making low population estimates to make it sound like the hunt expansion is not sustainable. Must be antis throughout the DNR and government there.

[fisherguy]

P.S. what kind of education will prevent a bear from draggin a toddler off and killing her? Well aside from lessond on how to shoot a good handgun! Bet they wouldn't say that if it was their daughter!