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Bear Hunting Bill

Not a real bear hunting season per se, but it a hunting bill.

SEN. WITKOS, 8th Dist.

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A BEAR HUNTING PERMIT AND PROGRAM.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

That the general statutes be amended to authorize the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish a bear hunting permit and program if the department determines that the state's bear population is dangerous to human health and safety.

Statement of Purpose:

To authorize bear hunting when human health and safety are endangered.

Pat,

I think your'e correct, the DEEP can shoot any animal that they consider a risk to human health and safety, i.e. rabid animals, nuisuance bears, moose in a school yard, deer hit by car, etc.

This bill may actually LIMIT the DEEP's ability to implement a season, since it says:

"if the department determines that the state's bear population is dangerous to human health and safety. "

That clearly excludes management of the population unless certain criteria exist. Don't they manage the numbers of other animals for the health of the herd and the habitat?

Is Senator Witkos usually a friend of hunters?

Ace,

I agree with you that the wording could be counterproductive; it might be deliberately worded that way as the incidence of bear/human interaction has been on a decided upswing in the NW corner the past 3-4 years.

Regarding Sen. Witkos; he is decidedly in the sportsmen's corner; both in regard to hunting as well as being 100% opposed to the new gun laws. Definitely one of the good guys and he does return your phone calls.

Good point Ace.

I think some well meaning pro hunting legislators make the assumption that granting additional discretion or limited discretion (within certain parameters) to the DEEP is always a good thing for hunters.

That is not necessarily the case.

Toonces

agree! Seeing more and more cases where the DEEP guys have different roles and responsibilities then what the public would be believe. It's all politics now, sad.

Toonces

agree! Seeing more and more cases where the DEEP guys have different roles and responsibilities then what the public would be believe. It's all politics now, sad.

Toonces

agree! Seeing more and more cases where the DEEP guys have different roles and responsibilities then what the public would be believe. It's all politics now, sad.

I will be in a NWTF meeting tonight with several DEEP guys and I will ask them about the bear hunting bill.

There was a similar bill passed in 08 that allows the DEP commissioner to establish bear and moose hunting seasons. I posted it here a few times. It has never been about the inability to do it, more about the push back from tree hugging progressive democrat donors aka the "constituents". Like everything else here it will take a horrific bear attack event to occur before they have the balls to move forward with it.

The 2 DEEP guys that were at our meeting knew nothing of the bear hunt bill. They said they would look into it and get back to me.

I got this response from Senator Witkos, the sponsor of the bill:

Thanks for your email. It has been my experience as a legislator that a bill like this will never pass in the CT legislature unless there’s a “safety” parameter built in.

The “danger” I speak to could be towards domestic animals as well. The only hope of passing something like this is to do things incrementally. That’s the reality of this legislature. I do appreciate your input and comments.

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