Bear Hunting Being Expanded

[FloridaFan]

According to the following article on the USA Today web page, a proposal will go into effect this summer to expand bear hunting near the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, which is about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage. It sounds like the Department will be considering proposals other than hunting in March. Please read the article. You can probably get more info. and send comments through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's web page (http://www.adfg.state.ak.us).

 

I know that people will probably take both sides on this issue. My opinion, however, is that if the bears have actually become comfortable being around humans, there's something wrong with "hunting" them. According to the article, the bear population at the Sanctuary is declining, so population control is not the reason for the hunting proposal.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-09-bears_x.htm

[CanCanCase]

I love the way the media "humanizes" these animals.

I try remain neutral on most of these debates too. Living here my entire life, I've seen many regulation changes over the past...well... bunch... of years. As long as everyone (viewers, hunters, etc.) have access to the animals in a way that is fair to everyone, I'll continue to follow the rules accordingly.

This USA Today (hardly the voice of Alaskan opinion!) article doesn't seem to want to stress that they're not talking about opening the sanctuary, but rather the areas NEAR the preserve which are owned by the State. It's all fine and good to protect animals IN a sanctuary, in fact, that's the point. But where are the sanctuary lines drawn? There has to be a line somewhere. If hunting is restricted for, say, 20 miles outside the preserve, what's going to happen when a "famous" bear roams 21 miles? Okay, now we need to move the line again... 50 miles outside the preserve. Now a bear wanders 51 miles, and we're talking about moving the line again...

Once a bear is outside a "preserve", how is a hunter supposed to recognize the animal as a "famous" bear named "Teddy"? Oh...I've got it! All "famous" bears should wear a safety-orange vest or hat like a hunter does!

Sorry... enough ranting on my part.

Here's another one you may be interested in: http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/011104/loc_wolf.shtml It's an absolutely beautiful animal. I watched him sniffing around near Skater's Cabin a few days after this article was written. I can say, however, that he's certainly a dead animal if he ever strays outside the "protected" park areas...

 

-Case

[CanCanCase]

Hmm... funny thing I mentioned the black wolf hanging out at Mendenhall Lake... It seems he's been given a name, and tried to "play" with someone's pug the other day!

 

http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/020807/loc_20070208018.shtml

 

-Case

[FloridaFan]

Thanks for your comments CanCanCase. You raised some difficult questions about the bear sanctuary and hunting nearby.

 

The articles about the wolf were interesting and show the problems of mixing wildlife and human communities. I can say this for sure -- I wouldn't let my dogs "play" with a wolf, even if it's name is Romeo.

[CanCanCase]

Alaska has the distinct advantage of being a young state. Fish & Game has a long history of other state's mistakes to learn from, and I've always felt that the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game does a brilliant job of managing our resources. I think once humans get involved in F&G management on ANY level, they're stuck managing EVERYTHING... it's no small task when everything is related and a change in one population can affect everything else.

 

There's another thread about bear viewing here at CC... I was interested to read the notes on Polar Bear viewing at the link posted. Apparently polar bears like to wander into human villiages and sometimes attack humans as prey. Then the question is raised, "who was there first?"... they both were... it's been a co-habitation way of life for hundreds of years. You don't see the local residents getting too upset about an occasional bear wandering through. But to an outside viewer it could be upsetting to read that there are no established bear viewing areas on the Arctic Coast and that polar bears maul and eat people.

 

When I look at all the F&W management issues I've acquainted myself with up here, the ones left in the hands of ADF&G have been successful for the most part. It's only when US Federal or International bodies get involved that we've had some major controversey and problems.

 

-Case