CNN: Montana asks for federal protection of many of its grizzly bears to be lifted. This would allow hunting for first time in decades

[China]

Montana asks for federal protection of many of its grizzly bears to be lifted. This would allow hunting for first time in decades

 

Montana's governor is seeking to end protections for some grizzlies, a move that -- if approved by federal officials -- could allow hunting of the bears for the first time in decades.

 

According to a news release from Gov. Greg Gianforte, he believes the number of bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), in the northwest part of the state, has surpassed recovery goals. Gianforte says it is time for the state to manage the bears.

"With the grizzly bear recovered, keeping the species listed under the Endangered Species Act will only continue to impact communities, farmers and ranchers, and recreationists around the state," he said. "It also limits Montana's options when it comes to dealing with conflict bears."

The state announced it will be petitioning the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to remove protections for grizzly bears in the NCDE. The move is being met with opposition from some groups.

Aside from the NCDE, the majority population of grizzlies in Montana reside in two other ecosystems: the Greater Yellowstone and Cabinet-Yaak, according to FWS.

The petition would delist the species from the list of Endangered Threatened Wildlife and Plants, which would lift protections on the species and could allow them to be publicly hunted again.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Chachie]

This is why I hope we never "discover" Bigfoot. We'd wipe them out in a year.

[Jabbyrwock]

2 hours ago, China said:

Montana asks for federal protection of many of its grizzly bears to be lifted. This would allow hunting for first time in decades

 

Montana's governor is seeking to end protections for some grizzlies, a move that -- if approved by federal officials -- could allow hunting of the bears for the first time in decades.

 

According to a news release from Gov. Greg Gianforte, he believes the number of bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), in the northwest part of the state, has surpassed recovery goals. Gianforte says it is time for the state to manage the bears.

"With the grizzly bear recovered, keeping the species listed under the Endangered Species Act will only continue to impact communities, farmers and ranchers, and recreationists around the state," he said. "It also limits Montana's options when it comes to dealing with conflict bears."

The state announced it will be petitioning the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to remove protections for grizzly bears in the NCDE. The move is being met with opposition from some groups.

Aside from the NCDE, the majority population of grizzlies in Montana reside in two other ecosystems: the Greater Yellowstone and Cabinet-Yaak, according to FWS.

The petition would delist the species from the list of Endangered Threatened Wildlife and Plants, which would lift protections on the species and could allow them to be publicly hunted again.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

They should lift the protections but only if you hunt them bear handed.

 

[Renegade7]

I'm confused, why are folks hunting bears? Do people eat bears?

[tshile]

It sounds fine if the population numbers are right. 
 

id like someone other than the governor, someone outside the state/party, to review and come to the same conclusion. 
 

but yeah we don’t need federal protections of an endangered class for species that have recovered. 

[youngestson]

1 hour ago, Renegade7 said:

I'm confused, why are folks hunting bears? Do people eat bears?

You can...and people do. Apparently they tend to have trichinosis but when fully cooked is safe to eat. Or so I've been told.

 

Bear hunting is a thing in the East, though black bears are a great deal more common than grizz. 

[China]

2 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

I'm confused, why are folks hunting bears? Do people eat bears?

 

Also, grizzly will hunt livestock.  When I was in Alberta, visiting my cousins, a grizzly took one of their alpaca.

 

I helped my cousin retrieve the carcass.  I think I've posted this before:

 

[Renegade7]

So i believe theres a difference in protecting your property and going into their habitat to eat them or for sport.

 

Are we going to regulate that or wait until they become endangered again?

 

Its same way i feel about wolves and sharks.  Most ecosystems depend on predators to keep certain other populations at levels the ecosystem can balance and substain.

 

From op article, this maked me dislike this even more:

 

Quote

Hunting of grizzly bears is illegal in the Lower 48 and is allowed only in Alaska, according to FWS.

 

[CousinsCowgirl84]

2 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

I'm confused, why are folks hunting bears? Do people eat bears?

for the carpets….

[The 12th Commandment]

No one eats brown bear, black bear are palatable when they first come out of the den and have been living on their fat rather than stinky plants and rotten meat.  Brown bear hunting is purely trophy, or worse, blood lust driven.  Shooting problem bears is sad but necessary.  Open season on any predator is a travesty in my humble opinion.

[TheGoodBits]

I’m normally in the camp of “as long as it’s managed responsibly” but in the case of grizzly bears I make an exception. They’re giant assholes, have been known to eat people, and I have no issues constraining their further spread to limit the amount of interactions they have with humans in the future. 

[The 12th Commandment]

@skinsfan_1215 I'm sure brownie thinks you're an asshole too.  Predation of humans by brown bears is exceedingly rare.  Black bears, up north at least, it's par for the course. No one hears them coming.  Brown bear is making a ruckus to chase you away from cubs or food.  Similar to humans in the same sitch. Really, aren't you arguing for their extirpation? What about wolves?  Also, do you live where it actually impacts you?

Edited December 10, 2021 by KAOSkins

[LD0506]

10 minutes ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

I’m normally in the camp of “as long as it’s managed responsibly” but in the case of grizzly bears I make an exception. They’re giant assholes, have been known to eat people, and I have no issues constraining their further spread to limit the amount of interactions they have with humans in the future. 

 

Really??!? The BEARS are the "giant assholes"?

 

 

[Larry]

 

 

[LadySkinsFan]

16 hours ago, Renegade7 said:

I'm confused, why are folks hunting bears? Do people eat bears?

 

Back in the day after the Great Depression, my grandfather was a taxidermist and my family would eat the bear meat from the bears hunters brought into his shop. My mom said it was tough and gristly. They lived in Pennsylvania.

[Renegade7]

4 hours ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

I’m normally in the camp of “as long as it’s managed responsibly” but in the case of grizzly bears I make an exception. They’re giant assholes, have been known to eat people, and I have no issues constraining their further spread to limit the amount of interactions they have with humans in the future. 

 

This is the same type of logic that nearly wiped sharks out the oceans following the release of Jaws in the 70s.

 

Just sheer statistics show there are more cases of humans eating humans these days then grizzlies heating humans, your logic is flawed:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_cannibalism

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

 

We don't systematically wipe out cannibalistic Amazon tribes, we leave their ass alone.  Its one thing if a bear actually eats a human, which we can't have them walking around knowing they've developed a taste for it and might do it again.  But a pre-emptive strike against an entire species is using a nuke to hammer a nail.

 

We target specific species of mosquitoes because of the sheer number of people they kill due to spreading disease, but it was still controversial given their place in different food chains.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Renegade7

[abdcskins]

Leave them alone.

[TheGoodBits]

5 hours ago, LD0506 said:

 

Really??!? The BEARS are the "giant assholes"?

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Renegade7 said:

 

This is the same type of logic that nearly wiped sharks out the oceans following the release of Jaws in the 70s.

 

Just sheer statistics show there are more cases of humans eating humans these days then grizzlies heating humans, your logic is flawed:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_incidents_of_cannibalism

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

 

We don't systematically wipe out cannibalistic Amazon tribes, we leave their ass alone.  Its one thing if a bear actually eats a human, which we can't have them walking around knowing they've developed a taste for it and might do it again.  But a pre-emptive strike against an entire species is using a nuke to hammer a nail.

 

We target specific species of mosquitoes because of the sheer number of people they kill due to spreading disease, but it was still controversial given their place in different food chains.

 

Hey, like I said, I get it. I’m absolutely an environmentalist and always want to protect wild places and save animals. Except mosquitos. And grizzly bears. 
 

Example: they come into towns where people are, break into tents where people live, and eat them. https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7876799002 

 

Worth pointing out my comments are slightly tongue in cheek, but my serious opinion is that there are/will be consequences to allowing the grizzly population to recover *too much* and expand back into populated areas. No issue with keeping their range and count to approximately where it is now. 

[TheGreatBuzz]

11 hours ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

I’m normally in the camp of “as long as it’s managed responsibly” but in the case of grizzly bears I make an exception. They’re giant assholes, have been known to eat people, and I have no issues constraining their further spread to limit the amount of interactions they have with humans in the future. 

 

6 hours ago, skinsfan_1215 said:

 

 

Hey, like I said, I get it. I’m absolutely an environmentalist and always want to protect wild places and save animals. Except mosquitos. And grizzly bears. 
 

Example: they come into towns where people are, break into tents where people live, and eat them. https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/7876799002 

 

Worth pointing out my comments are slightly tongue in cheek, but my serious opinion is that there are/will be consequences to allowing the grizzly population to recover *too much* and expand back into populated areas. No issue with keeping their range and count to approximately where it is now. 

How about instead of trying to limits the bear’s interaction with people, we limit people’s interaction with bears?  I’m pretty sure we are encroaching on them a lot more than they are on us.

[tshile]

We have black bears. They’re giant sissies. Unless they have a cub then stay the hell away. 
 

but otherwise they’re more scared of you than you are of them. 
 

 Was always taught grizzlies are particularly aggressive. Went through a bunch of prep for backpacking out west. Never actually made it to Philmont, but did the prep work for it. I think I was too young for the trip but they let me do the prep work, and I switched troops before it came back up in the rotation. But the general training for backpacking out west had a emphasis on grizzlies and how bad they can be. 
 

i think you might be being a little hard on the idea that maybe they should be kept in check. 
 

i mean for the people that live in dmv if someone came in lecturing us on our deer control….

[Ball Security]

Haven’t read this thread.  But all I know is that when Montana comes to Harrisonburg, they ain’t getting into the endzone.  Go Dukes!

[Larry]

17 hours ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Back in the day after the Great Depression, my grandfather was a taxidermist and my family would eat the bear meat from the bears hunters brought into his shop. My mom said it was tough and gristly.

 

[Larry]

 

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Larry