Conservationists Fight California Bear Hunt Expansion

The coalition opposes two recent proposals by the department that would permit hunters to kill an unlimited number of bears across California and allow trophy hunting of bears in San Luis Obispo County for the first time.

The conservationists contend that a thorough analysis has not been conducted to determine the impacts this action would have on California's bears.

Led by Action for Animals, Animal Emancipation of San Luis Obispo County, Big Wildlife, The Humane Society of the United States, and Los Padres ForestWatch the organizations said in a letter to the agency delivered today that the bear hunting proposals are "misguided, unnecessary, and scientifically indefensible."

Both proposals will be discussed Thursday at a California Fish and Game Commission public hearing in Lodi.

"The California Department of Fish and Game's plan to expand bear hunting is bad news for bears. Instead of letting trophy hunters turn these magnificent animals into throw rugs by the fireplace, the agency should vigorously protect bears," said Brian Vincent, Big Wildlife’s communications director.

Last month, the California Department of Fish and Game proposed lifting all numerical limits to bear hunting and opening a new bear hunt in San Luis Obispo County. Currently, the hunting season is closed when there are 1,700 bears reported taken or on the last Sunday in December, which ever comes first.

Female bear with cubs in California's Sequoia National Park (Photo by Laura Travels)

California's black bear population has increased over the past 25 years, according to the Fish and Game Department. In 1982, the statewide bear population was estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000. Between 25,000 and 30,000 black bears are now estimated to occupy 52,000 square miles in California.

The majority of bear hunting in San Luis Obispo County will occur on public land managed by the Los Padres National Forest, according to the state's proposal. Some private landowners also will provide access for hunters to take bears from their properties. Private land owners who do not want hunting on their property have the right to preclude hunting on their lands.

In its proposal the Fish and Game Department says the result will be the harvest of 20 to 50 bears from San Luis Obispo County.

"Several regulatory safeguards assure that no significant impacts to the bear population occur as a result of the project, the agency says. "The hunting bag limit of one bear per season restricts the take of bears and equitably allocates the take among the interested public. The prohibition against the take of cubs and females accompanied by cubs insures recruitment of young into the population and protects reproductive females from hunting mortality."

But the coalition argues that the department has failed to assess the impacts of poaching. The conservationists point out that illegal killing of bears has increased nationwide, fueled by a booming international market for bear parts, which are prized for their reputed medicinal properties.

"Poaching of wildlife has become epidemic in California," the coalition wrote today in its letter to the department. "Violations rose from 6,538 in 2003 to 17,840 in 2007. Yet, the state has fewer than 200 active-duty game wardens patrolling 100 million acres. It makes no sense to expand hunting opportunities when state wildlife law enforcement capabilities are so hampered."

The trophy hunting of bears puts populations at risk, ignoring the ecological value of these animals, the letter argues. "Apex species, such as bears, cougars, and wolves, play critical roles in maintaining ecosystems. Black bears often scavenge for food, playing an important role in recycling carrion. Bears also help transport berry seeds. Along salmon spawning streams, bear scat and the remains of fish carried into the woods contribute to the long-term nutrient cycle in old-growth forest. Even cambium feeding by bears, which sometimes kills trees, creates widely scattered snags that benefit other species of wildlife."

Bear hunting is "cruel, unethical, and environmentally harmful," the coalition wrote. "In California, black bears can be legally chased by hounds, treed, and then shot by hunters. Hounds have been known to pursue bears with cubs, increasing the risk that cubs could be separated from their mothers, then orphaned."

"It is not uncommon for hounds to maim bears, especially cubs, and even more common for bears to maim or kill an entire pack of dogs. In addition, hounds may pursue non-targeted animals, including imperiled species, putting additional stress on those species. Bears can also be killed with bow and arrow, which studies reveal produce an unacceptably high wounding rate," the coalition's letter states.

But the Department of Fish and Game says, "The general bear season for San Luis Obispo County will open concurrently with deer season in the A zone deer hunting area. The use of more than one dog for the pursuit and take of bear will be prohibited until the close of the general deer season."

"The Fish and Game Department has jumped the gun on this proposal," said Jeff Kuyper, executive director of Los Padres ForestWatch. "Not only does the agency lack the resources needed to control illegal poaching in the state, but it also lacks the basic scientific data needed to properly evaluate the impacts of bear hunting along California's central coast. Fish and Game is not acting in the best interests of our state's wildlife."

Still, the department concludes that "the data collected over the past 50 years does not indicate that significant, negative environmental impacts have resulted from regulated, legal sport harvest of bears in any area of the state."

Click here and scroll down to the middle of the document to view the Department of Fish and Game's detailed reasoning in support of the bear hunting proposals.

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