Feedback re: NDP Grizz Hunt Changes - NOV. 2 Deadline! Read more: http://huntingandf

[45ACPKING]

Don't chew me up here but what's the point of hunting grizzly or bear for that matter , can u even eat it ?

I asked myself these same questions when i got into hunting and realized people ate black bears but most hunting folks gave me the impression grizzly bear meat was not fit for table fare.
I'll be honest, because I'm not really a bear hunter, I never bothered to "really" educate myself on whether a grizzly bear is edible or not..... it doesn't matter to me. I took the time to look into why hunting is a successful tool and developed my own reasons for supporting hunters who choose to hunt these animals.

We allowed the hunting of these bears.... among other species because regulated hunting in a structured and carefully managed system , benefits the bears by maintaining populations at levels that promote a healthy bear population within the land that remains for them. The structured system collected money that then is used for conservation efforts across the land. Hunters fund these important measures and this is fact.
We as a society have ignored the damage to the land that we have allowed corporations to do. The forestry companies that have clear cut the natural timber and browse for ungulates and replaced in with cash crop trees and the silt from erosion has reduced the salmon rearing capacities of the streams the bears rely on for salmon. Over fishing has nearly finished the job by depleting salmon stocks even more..... and an innefective DFO department incapable of doing a proper management job. It's a sad situation because these great bears rely on salmon and ungulates to feed themselves.

But it's easier to blame the hunter for the grizzly bears fate, it's easy to ignore the 100's of road killed wildlife every night on BC roads by the trucking industry too. But again we will blame the hunters for the demise of all those animals as well.
Ahhh I'm getting sidetracked.

Hunting of grizzly bears is what is maintaining and promoting healthy bear populations within thier ever shrinking habitat. The science says this is so.
The only changes to BC's hunting situation I want to see is a complete across the board removal or buy out of all foreign ownership or foreign employment in BC's guiding industry.

 

[rockymountainrange]

I agree, 45ACP. Hunting is a foundational pillar of scientific game management, and given that habitat loss is the greatest threat to wildlife species, it remains an extremely important tool of conservation- smoothing the boom/bust cycle of peaks and valleys that make starvation and population overshoot so taxing on the animal population. Ignoring these scientific principles in favour of the caterwauling of the ignorant masses and the disingenuous activists really sticks in my craw.

 

[Bland]

Sent my E-mail with this point as well. It is the first step in their agenda. They have bent the word trophy and it is their battle cry for now. It would be interesting to hear what the government wildlife biologists would say if left up to them.

 

[Jay]

I wrote & sent this previously. I've sent it again just now.

My name is Jay and I live in Ontario. You may be aware that the spring bear hunt in Ontario was cancelled for 15 years and recently reopened. During this 15 year closure, damage to property and incidents with problem bears increased dramatically. It is important for you to realize that the closure was based on emotion and not science. In fact, it is common knowledge that the Ontario government did not listen to their own biologists who opposed the closure of the spring bear hunt. They chose to side with animal rights activists who claimed that the closure of the spring bear hunt would prevent hunters from harvesting sows and leaving orphan cubs behind to perish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hunters do not target sows with cubs, and it is not legal to harvest a sow with cubs. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and the spring bear hunt was reinstated in Ontario.

When I look to your beautiful province of British Columbia, and I hear that you are considering restricting 'trophy hunting' for grizzly bears, I have to ask you several questions. Are you basing your decisions on sound wildlife management principles? You must know that the main reason for bear cub mortality is predation from mature male bears. Trophy hunting, which targets these mature male bears, is actually a benefit to the species! That may be hard to believe if you are not a hunter, but it's true.

The management of bear populations via the regulated hunting of bears, trophy hunting especially, should be allowed to continue in BC. There is no valid scientific reason to close it. If you chose to ignore the science and sound wildlife management principles, there will be an increase in bear cub mortality and financial hardship for all segments of the economy currently involved in the legal hunt.

In closing, let me say that I am not against the closure of hunting seasons to protect a given animal population. But these decisions need to be based on science, not emotion.

 

[Sakoman .308]

Antis' suck, I bet the grizzly bears will like them though, for lunch that is.