Black bears are the target of debate in Washington, again

That is not an easy discussion. I figure unless there is an over-population of bears causing problems, or people have acreage and bears are on one's property creating some type of a threat, then leaving them be might be a good idea. Although, Bear roast is excellent, at least the way Grandma prepared it, in the old wood-burning range.
A large bear was in the woods harassing the cows on three adjoining farms with acreage that included forest. So they decide to put an end to the problem. Grandpa is the one who happened to meet up with the bear when he was doing some logging up the hill in the woods. He dispatched it, and the three families shared the meat - and had no more worries about the milk cows.

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."However, conservationists said bear populations grow slowly, and therefore don’t need what they said are hapless attempts at human regulation.

“A spring hunt is especially egregious because inevitably cubs will be orphaned. No hunt should ever occur during an animal’s breeding season,” said Renee Seacor, carnivore conservation advocate for Project Coyote.

In addition, Seacor said, climate change will greatly threaten Washington’s bears because of wildfires and other habitat loss. A majority of people in Washington don’t support spring bear hunts, she said.

Moreover, conservation groups said bears are just coming out of hibernation in the springtime, making them easy targets.

However, bears aren’t as sluggish in the early spring as people think, said Stephanie Simek, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department’s carnivore, furbearer and small game section manager.

Bears begin emerging from their dens in mid-March, with most bears out of their dens by the end of the month, she said.

“Bears come and go from their den throughout the denning season. They don’t just hunker down and stay there,” Simek said. “It’s not true hibernation.”

At an earlier meeting, department officials said bears can damage timber as they emerge from their dens and hungrily search for any available food.

However, Commissioner Barbara Baker said these hunts are no longer solely to control timber damage. Now, they also make up a recreational opportunity, she said.

“What I want to know is when this hunt changed from an extraordinary damage hunt to a recreational hunt?” Baker said.

This is not the first time black bears have caused a debate.

At least a dozen conservation groups called for a pause, if not outright end, to the spring hunting season, which they said would give the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife more time to study what the conservationists called a cruel hunting season.

The commission effectively postponed Washington's 2022 spring bear hunt after a 4-4 split vote this past November. A majority of commissioners needed to approve the special permits for the hunting season to happen.

After the November vote, several hunting groups and individuals submitted petitions to reinstate the 2022 spring season."...