Sustainability of the grizzly bear hunt in British Columbia, Canada

[souwester]

Srrup and BearValley ....good posts.
boblly1 I have a simple question for you and other hunters that share your sentiments.

Why do you feel that respect for an animal that is hunted is completely 'tied' to if its fine table fare or not ?

I really question what value hunters such as yourself see in hunting and what the experience is for you.For me hunting is about hunting.I appreciate having food in the freezer but at this point in my life I am completely a "trophy" hunter .I have no interest in harvesting any animal unless it is a mature male that truly represents the species,if that means I don't have a deer in the freezer every year I am fine with that.
How can this show apathy or disrespect to a species?

[j270wsm]

The elk valley has a high population of grizz and could sustain both a spring and fall bear hunt, but our tag numbers get reduced every few yrs when all 4 tags( 2 guided - 2 leh ) are filled. When I get another grizz leh I will only be keeping the hide.

Lets be honest.......what's the difference in leaving the meat in the bush or taking it home and then throwing it in the garbage 2 days later......??????

[180grainer]

not really 66 year old hunter since i was 14 years old just have no need for useless knowledge or data that does not mean anything or matter.Somethings just because they are sustianable doesn`t mean it needs to shot. I also live on the island have eaten or at least tried any wild game except grizzly most of the bear on the island other than spring taste like salmon they aren`t worth shooting

I would agree with you to this extent. You don't find killing bears for their hide acceptable so you won't do it. You don't eat bear and therefore won't shoot one. I'm completely comfortable with that and think you should follow your moral compass and not hunt them. It's when you project your personal beliefs on to me and suggest because you find it unacceptable to hunt and kill bears that somehow I should not be allowed to as well. That's where I'd have a problem. In fact, that's the premise of the whole eco-tourist, eco-terrorist manifesto. Forcing their opinions and beliefs on to others despite the reality that the hunt is sustainable and beneficial to the over all management of the environment.

[Ride Red]

I would agree with you to this extent. You don't find killing bears for their hide acceptable so you won't do it. You don't eat bear and therefore won't shoot one. I'm completely comfortable with that and think you should follow your moral compass and not hunt them. It's when you project your personal beliefs on to me and suggest because you find it unacceptable to hunt and kill bears that somehow I should not be allowed to as well. That's where I'd have a problem. In fact, that's the premise of the whole eco-tourist, eco-terrorist manifesto. Forcing their opinions and beliefs on to others despite the reality that the hunt is sustainable and beneficial to the over all management of the environment.

Like Button!!!

[Whonnock Boy]

This....

I would agree with you to this extent. You don't find killing bears for their hide acceptable so you won't do it. You don't eat bear and therefore won't shoot one. I'm completely comfortable with that and think you should follow your moral compass and not hunt them. It's when you project your personal beliefs on to me and suggest because you find it unacceptable to hunt and kill bears that somehow I should not be allowed to as well. That's where I'd have a problem. In fact, that's the premise of the whole eco-tourist, eco-terrorist manifesto. Forcing their opinions and beliefs on to others despite the reality that the hunt is sustainable and beneficial to the over all management of the environment.

And this... especially the highlighted. Well said gentlemen.

srupp pretty well summed it up in his rambling style. Hmmmm.....
Like I've said before, the present issue is a ballot initiative of the NDP that is based on information provided to them by a small group that want the grizzly hunt shut down for their own personal, financial gain.
This group is made up of the bear viewing industry and the anti organizations that are donation funded such as Raincoast.
The majority of their followers are emotion driven...not guided by knowledge.
The grizzl hunt is sustainable.
Its a nessasary part of wildlife management.
How the meat is dealt with should be at the discretion of the hunter. If it's a mountain bear, feeding partially on berries it will make better table fare than an old boar on a salmon diet.
Moving forward, if we want to keep the grizzly hunt in the majority of the province I believe we are going to have to lose part of it.
Only small pockets of BC are viable as bear watch locations. The view area needs an attraction that draws the bears day after day. The coast has the areas that have the highest bear viewing potential....and I don't mean just the Bella Colla dump.
My thought is to identify high value bear watch areas and sacrifice the hunt there.
In a short period of time there will be issues in these closed areas with excessive, unmanaged grizzly bears.
When the day comes that corrective steps need to be taken to relocate or permanently remove problem bears the bear viewing industry should pick up the tab.

[scoutlt1]

The elk valley has a high population of grizz and could sustain both a spring and fall bear hunt, but our tag numbers get reduced every few yrs when all 4 tags( 2 guided - 2 leh ) are filled. When I get another grizz leh I will only be keeping the hide.

Lets be honest.......what's the difference in leaving the meat in the bush or taking it home and then throwing it in the garbage 2 days later......??????

Maybe we will have to submit stool samples to the province to prove that the bear meat was eaten. Three samples per 10lbs of meat perhaps? Sarcasm of course, but after re-reading.....maybe I shouldn't give anybody any ideas!!

[Fisher-Dude]

if one is going harvest a grizzly for consumption take it by all means fill your boots .But if is just for its head or a rug it should be against the law or charge at least triple what it is already. Just saying no animal deserves to die for nothing

So when you trap a mouse to control and manage their population, do you eat it?

Or does it just die for nothing?

[JSaw]

I think the hunt is sustainable, given information provided by biologists and experts in the field. I for one don't have an interest in hunting Grizzlies or other apex predators simply because I like to eat what I shoot. It's just a personal choice I'm not a granola munching tree hugger, I've shot predators before. I will however never knock anyone who wants to trophy hunt as long as it is within the confines of the law.

What I don't agree with is when someone says "You're helping out the ungulates, Grizzlies are over-populated" etc.. a 2008 study estimated 16,000 GB in the province, another study conducted in 2012 estimated 15,000. Taking into account for some of the many variables involved in such a study, this tells me that their population is fairly constant. Grizzlies and ungulates have lived side by side by thousands of years without one being wiped out. Populations trend up and down over time, they always have and always will. Bringing ungulates into the GB hunting argument is a moot point in my opinion. That being said, I do agree that ungulates are at risk but not because of the Grizzly. If you want to look at the biggest problem facing ungulates look at human encroachment and development (logging, mines, oil and gas, lack of fire on the landscape etc.) I'll stop at that point there so I don't open up a whole new can of worms and stray too far from the subject.

Anyway, if trophy hunting is your thing, awesome. If you don't agree with the hunt, awesome. Sometimes I think people let emotion overwhelm rational thought. Do your research first and if it still doesn't sway your opinion, explain why. I've attached some articles that I found interesting.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/soe/indicat...zly-bears.html
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife...ement-2016.pdf
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife...Final_2012.pdf

[two-feet]

When i shoot a moose the hide stays in the bush. This makes me feel a little guilty and uncomfortable but i realize it is legal and moral. And it does not go to waste in the bush.

If i ever shot a grizz i would take the meat and hide but that is my personal choice. I love bear meat and beleive anybody that does not just needs to learn how to cook.

So like most things its complicated. Just follow the law and try not to judge.

[tuner]

I would agree with you to this extent. You don't find killing bears for their hide acceptable so you won't do it. You don't eat bear and therefore won't shoot one. I'm completely comfortable with that and think you should follow your moral compass and not hunt them. It's when you project your personal beliefs on to me and suggest because you find it unacceptable to hunt and kill bears that somehow I should not be allowed to as well. That's where I'd have a problem. In fact, that's the premise of the whole eco-tourist, eco-terrorist manifesto. Forcing their opinions and beliefs on to others despite the reality that the hunt is sustainable and beneficial to the over all management of the environment.

I'm beating the living shit out of a nonexistent LIKE button right now!!! Well said 180G!