revisiting the bear
Connecticut
I know it's an old much debated topic but if Ct. did decide to have a limited bear season, what do you think would cause that to happen (hypothetically speaking of course) ? An incident or just a change of heart ?
The requests for the state to do something about the growing bear problems are growing, so I would guess that as more people complain about bear encounters a season will become real, even if it very limited. Bears breaking into homes, hikers/trail walkers/soccer moms/etc all complaining about bears getting too close or worried about pets and children safety will turn the tide.
Notme, LMAO, one of your finest
I've shared my opinion before and again, I hope I'm very wrong on this; my gut feeling is that something tragic, if not multiple tragic incidents will have to happen before we see a bear season in CT.
Clearly as we sit here today there is a definite need; anyone viewing the subject purely on the facts knows this. The issue has been and will continue to be the large and very active (vocally and every other avenue) anti-hunting crowd. If I recall correctly the last time we had a whiff of a chance their calls, letters, emails etc. outnumbered those in favor of a bear season by somewhere between 9:1 and 10:1.
Legislators will never stick their neck out given those numbers and absent what I describe above I don't see that changing.
Mike, you're right. Attendant with almost every tragic event with news coverage is a cry from politicians for a new law. But, then again, if the media decides not to cover it; then it never happened. Hmmm?
I'm sure the DEEP is trying to get one instituted as they have been conducting studies for a long time, but they will always get push back from the liberal side. Mike is right it will take a bad Bear involved accident to bring it to vote. To bad this government cant be "proactive instead of reactive".
Every State in New England (except RI) including NY, NJ and PA has a limited Bear season.
The ratio is subject to emotional changes, not science. I once knew a woman that had deer all over her land, but was reluctant to let me hunt there. So one evening, as she is just ourside her driveway, a doe crosses in front of her and takes out a break line. She then calls me and tells me to come and "kill them all".
ne, reactive =votes and gives the illusion of being "on the ball"; you are so correct. They (many politicians) seem to confuse talking with thinking. It'll never change . I often see as many bear as bucks on my cam.
It seems like a lot of people warmed up to deer hunting when they realized that the deer were costing them a lot of money on landscaping bills and auto body repair, and it finally got through to them that having a 200 pound animal come through the windshield might not feel too good…
So I am going to guess that we will get a bear season when a reasonable percentage of the population begins to recognize that these animals do in fact pose a potential threat to them, personally. If we are lucky, it will only take one anxiety-provoking experience for one influential person to turn the tide - I seem to recall that coyotes lost a lot of popularity and sentiment opposed to trapping them declined sharply) when one of them mauled a small dog belonging to a very high profile individual - but I’m not holding my breath.
But then you know… Did anyone else see the news item today where there was a coyote out in California that has bitten five people in the last couple of weeks?
So the state folks came in with leg traps and all that and cleaned out a number of them. I figure maybe if Californians can figure out that coyotes aren’t all that cute and cuddly, then maybe we are not completely out of luck when it comes to big toothy critters that are heavier than a lot of us people…
GF, that's promising info.
The bear problem is a regional issue confined to the NW corner of the state. Why should a person who lives along the shore care about this? And the problem in the NW region is much worse than the numbers suggest, however bear sightings have become so common that most people don't bother to report sightings. Too bad, because the first step in creating change is increasing awareness of the problem. Any time I see a bear or get a picture of one on a trail camera I report it on the attached link so the DEEP can have accurate date to present to the public and legislature.
Nature, My family hunts NW Ct. ; so I know what you say is correct. There's going to be a flash point where bad things are going to happen to property and lives could be at risk. Your post should be taken seriously. It's not difficult or time consuming to report a bear.
I agree that the NW corner has the highest bear population, however there's also a lot fewer people in that area. The real problem area in my opinion will be in towns like, Avon, Simsbury, Farmington, Burlington, Canton, and even into Plainville and Southington. This is where encounters with people will be the highest and therefore cause the most problems. I know that nehunter sees bear about every time he's in the woods in the NW corner, but I'm sure he doesn't report it each time. Soccer mom will call everyone in the town if she sees a bear on the kids swingset. I live by the Southington ski area and I've had bears in my backyard several times last year. I did report it, but they didn't care, they said leave them alone and they'll go away. So I stopped reporting.
Bear have been spotted in Newtown and Weston for at least the last eight years.
BBB, I totally agree. I should clarify, by NW corner I should have said NW quarter of the state. I think the link is the best way to report sightings. If you call the DEEP, you are likely to end up talking to some overworked, underpaid person answering the phone and I can understand how you might feel apathetic. The DEEP is on our side with this and proposed a bear season a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it got shot down because the other 3/4 of the state doesn't understand this issue and is easily manipulated by anti-hunter propaganda.
And FWIW.. we had confirmed Bear sightings way down in “back-country” Greenwich 20 years ago; I used to know a gal who ran the Audubon center, and she said that their beehives were getting knocked over pretty regularly.....
So, yeah - report every sighting so that the DEEP has ample data to make the case for it.
GF, a few bear are still seen now and then in the wilds of Greenwich.
I'm on the Cornwall's Town chat board, NOBODY reports Bear sightings. One anti Bear hunting season person said if you report Bears, they will use that info for support of the Bear season. So now nobody will report unless its an issue.
There is at least five different people every week chatting that the Bears are out in full force. They are pulling in the bird feeders. One lady was taking pictures of them on her porch eating popcorn and peanut butter. She was recommended that she stop or be reported.
I came across this picture this morning, Momma with three cubs devouring my corn block
He found it first, then no more Bucks', Its not worth putting out attractant's before the season anymore. Bears scare away the Deer in no time.
Yup, Ne has a bear problem. Sorry!!
OK, so if the Anti-Bear Season folk are deliberately underreporting, then doesn’t it make sense to report everything that you do see?
I’m not AT ALL suggesting that anyone go making stuff up, because we’re supposed to be on the side of good science, right? But if we Citizen Scientists don’t report our data, we’re just part of the problem.
ne, I've had deer almost in shooting range only to be scared away by a bear.
Big Dog, I've got at least two Bears chasing Deer in a field corner.
During the day too.
Yup, it's getting out of hand; they're crossing the road as I drive to my spot. So sad that we have plastic people who influence F+G regs. 'nuff said.
It obviously doesn't hurt to report bears you see, so I would never advocate against doing it. That on-line reporting came out as bears were being seen more and more in the state. The state biologists, wildlife managers, and conservation officers don't need those reports to know that the bear population in this state is expanding rapidly. Eventually there will be no choice but to have some sort of a hunting season or control. As others have mentioned, hopefully it doesn't come at the expense of a bad incident where someone is hurt or killed.
By the way....
We don’t take a paper, but when you guys see an article or editorial related to hunting or trapping, can you post a link here?
tobywon, it's crunch time now and no limited bear season in sight. I hope you're right about an eventual season but I feel we are less influential than we think.
This is being presented at the virtual Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference in a few weeks. Thought it would be of interest. Still time to register for the conference if interested.
Big Dog, its a numbers game. Populations are going to continue to rise dramatically, bears are going to continue to expand with their large home ranges, continued development with less land, and grandma tending to her bird feeders will eventually make it a perfect storm with bear human conflict even more so. You already have bears along the shoreline towns. There is nowhere else to go as the population continues to boom. I mentioned above....hunting or "control" So if hunting doesn't get passed, some sort of control will eventually be needed. Cant trap them and move to a big wilderness area in the state, you will see more problem bears being euthanized by the state. That's my take at least.
toby, yes, bring in the state's sharpshooters; anything to avoid a regulated hunting season for the sportsman. I hope the conference as shown by Dr. Williams provides some thrust for a limited season.
Here is the text of the abstract for the talk by our Wildlife Division and UConn staff. The text in the picture is hard to read. Basically, 50% of the residents in bear country support a bear hunt while 75% support hunting in general. I guess my point in posting it is that DEEP is moving on this. Is 50% support from the public enough to justify a season?
"Human-black bear (Ursus americanus) conflict is an ongoing management challenge throughout the northeastern US. As black bear populations grow and the number of human-black bear conflicts increase, regulated hunts serve as a management tool for reducing the number of conflicts while maintaining the long-term presence of bears. Our objective was to evaluate resident support for a regulated black bear hunting season in Connecticut, where the number of human-black bear conflicts has increased dramatically during the past decade. In winter 2019, mail surveys were sent to residents among 17 towns in Connecticut, categorized by the relative number of black bear sightings during the previous year. Participants were selected based on a stratified random sample within categories of urban development density within each town. Completed surveys (n = 1,421) were well-distributed among towns within the three black bear sighting categories. Although three-quarters of respondents approved of regulated hunting for game species, just over half supported a regulated black bear hunting season in Connecticut. Support for hunting of both game species and black bears was distributed similarly among towns regardless of the number of black bear sightings. The most noted reason for support of a black bear hunt was to reduce or prevent human-black bear conflicts, often with the condition that the hunt be strictly regulated. In contrast, reasons for non-support included moral opposition to animal death, and concerns about human encroachment on habitat. Those who were unsure noted not having knowledge about black bear population data or how the hunt would be regulated. Multinomial regression analysis revealed further relationships between individual respondents and support or non-support for both game hunting and a black bear hunt. Results will be used to guide development of a state black bear management plan and strategies for reducing the number of human-black bear conflicts."
I get the sense if it were up to DEEP there already would be a hunting season. I could be wrong but I think bear hunting is prohibited by the CT statutes, so DEEP has no regulatory authority to authorize a bear season without a change in the statutes. Change in statutes requires legislative action which I think is highly unlikely given the politics in CT.
I wonder if it would be possible for DEEP to authorize a state sponsored professional sharpshooter cull of black bears without changing the hunting statutes. I doubt it would ever happen, but it if its not considered hunting it may be within their regulatory authority to do it under some other mandate.
Right. DEEP cannot make or change the seasons, that needs to be approved by the legislature. But as we have discussed previously, the bears that reside within Connecticut’s boundaries are owned by the people of Connecticut, not DEEP, not hunters, the Connecticut public. And as such, DEEP acting as custodians of CT’s publicly owned wildlife need to show that the majority of the public is behind their proposed season change. In this case, only 50% of the residents in the 17 towns surveyed agreed with a bear season. It does not state which 17 towns, just that they were “categorized by the relative number of black bear sightings during the previous year.” Knowing Dr. Morzillo’s survey work, I am sure it is a representative sample of the entire state of CT and not just the 17 towns with the most bear sightings.
Hiring a sharpshooter to whack bears is never going to happen… The public will certainly not permit that.
Doc,
It isn't correct to say DEEP cannot change the seasons. They can and do all the time. Most recently they eliminated the distinction between A & B shotgun deer seasons on public land. They do have wide authority to make changes without legislative approval.
Unfortunately a bear season is something that is specifically prevented by statute.
A bear season in CT is not a biology issue or a science issue. In CT, at this point in time, it’s a political issue. When the votes are there, it will happen. If we want a bear season, we will need more legislators willing to vote for it. We get that by 1) convincing some to change their minds and support it. Or 2) replacing some NO votes with YES votes.
Do you know where your Representative and Senators stand? Do they know how YOU feel?
This is going to be a several year uphill battle, but it can happen.
There was a bill passed in 2008 that would allow the commissioner to establish a bear and moose season. I posted it here. The title of the bill had nothing to do with bear hunting.
Grizzly is right, I was thinking the same thing when reading the past post's.
I remember that as well, but a few people are telling me I’m crazy. I can’t find it, Anyone have a link or a bill number?
Toonces, I stand corrected. You are right about the changes in regs. The Wildlife guys are just as frustrated as hunters with trying to get these seasons through the legislature. They know it is the right thing to do, but need to bring the public along to understand themselves.
That's the one, thank you Griz and NE, and Mike for finding it.
I wonder if in addition to bear, bobcat and coyote, lack of good year round forage could contribute to fawn mortality.
I can’t believe that so many people are discarding fishing line into the water that a act needed to be presented to fine them.
TIMH, the small trout river I fish always has tangles of mono line left in the water and on the bank. Either these people are ignorant of the danger it presents to wildlife or they just don't care. Most likely both. You brought up a good point.
If it weren’t a problem, it wouldn’t take a law to keep people from doing it....
And the thing with plastic is that if only 1 person per year dumps a wad of mono in a given spot, after 10 years there are 10 wads of mono lying around..... so I guess it doesn’t take many to screw things up....
Big Dog - there have been studies that show ground cover is very important to fawn survival. One of the take home messages for me was that if you can toss a basketball and still see it, then there is inadequate cover to protect fawns from predators. We tend to focus on predator control but providing a dense ground cover for fawns is equally, if not more, important. Besides the exploding bear population in CT, one wonders if the maturation of the forests here, and decrease in sunlight hitting the ground, has contributed to the decline in deer and ruffed grouse population.
N8ture, I agree. Predation often masks actual problems like lack of ground cover. Something as benign as a period of cold rain can cause fawn mortality in an article I recently read. There's a delicate balance there.
Yup - grouse & deer like edges, and the state land doesn’t have much. Lot more Edge in the ‘burbs, but you don’t see grouse there. Probably too many housecats...
Fire used to be normal; only in the past couple-three hundred years has it become “a disaster”....
Native Americans regularly used fire to clear understory for easier forest travel. Got to pick the right day and know what you're doing. I've seen a few contolled burns that got out of control .
Personally I’d like to see Connecticut do more forest management. Clear cut some areas to promote new growth and turn some into grass food plots. Some of the big state forests are so deep with woods that they could use some diversity.
Personally I’d like to see Connecticut do more forest management. Clear cut some areas to promote new growth and turn some into grass food plots. Some of the big state forests are so deep with woods that they could use some diversity.
Nehunter - holy cow, 4 cubs! That has to be a rare litter I would guess. I had this little guy hit my bird feeder last week. May be the same bear that was with mama last year. She was able to stand up and rip down my feed, he had to climb it.
I hadn’t heard about the travel aspect, but slash&burn farming was a really wide-spread practice on this region, owing to poor soils; they just had to keep on rotating... and no doubt natural fires burned as they would for millions of years before we showed... although this part of the country might have taken some time off during that whole Ice Age thing....
But FWIW.... Grass food plots???
I don’t want my tax/license dollars spent on anything but Native vegetation. Anything monoculture like that is a wasteland.
5 Bears crossing the road in Winchester. Mamma and 4 cubs Must watch if you have kids.
That video is pretty darn funny… But the sad thing is that it looks like five dead bears waiting to happen to me…
Way too habituated already. And how is it that that sow is looking so fat at this time of year???
At least nobody was dumb enough to get out of their car and try to “help“…
I was thinking the same thing went the last cub went up the pole, I could just see some lady running over to grab it and bring to the momma. With the cop there I think that kept everyone inside their cars.
On the brighter side, at least it would’ve been on film so that people can find out just how cute and cuddly these bears really are!
10 million views on the video so far. Not from my post but the original one.
Channel8,This Week In Ct.,DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes talks bear encounters. A limited hunting season is suggested and quickly deflected to "the possible future". My take is for us to save our energy for other things because to quote the commissioner, Ct. "is bear country". Case closed, stick a fork in it, it's done until something horrific happens ; then the state will hunt down the offending bear and kill it for being a bear. How honorable !!
