Subtle, aren't they? I would have preferred this:
But then, I'm a fan of the classics.
Posted on 05/10/2018 8:52:51 PM PDT by Simon Green
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission on Thursday approved a limited hunting season for grizzly bears in eastern Idaho just a year after the animals were removed from the Endangered Species List.
Under the plan, the Department of Fish and Game will hold a random drawing to award one Idaho hunter a grizzly tag for a hunting season running from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15.
If successful, the hunter won't be allowed to reapply for future tags. Baiting or hound-hunting will not be allowed.
Grizzlies in the Yellowstone National Park region were on the Endangered Species Act list until 2017, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed federal protections.
That cleared the way for Idaho, Montana and Wyoming to allow limited hunting when the population has more than 600 bears. Last year's population estimate for the region was 718 bears.
Wyoming is also planning a limited trophy hunt this fall.
Wyoming's proposed hunt, which will be considered on May 23 by the state's Game and Fish Commission, would allow for 11 bears to be hunted — 10 males and one female — between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15.
However, under the proposal rules, the Wyoming hunt would be stopped when one female bear is taken even if no male bears have been killed.
Montana officials have decided not to hold a grizzly bear hunt this year.
Idaho officials are warning would-be hunters that the grizzly hunt could still be canceled because of a pending federal lawsuit.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is locked in a court battle with conservationists and American Indian tribes over the lifting of protections for a group of grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park.
Attorney Andrea Santarsiere, with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said Idaho bowed to the wishes of trophy hunters in approving a hunt.
"This is a sad day for the many state residents who value our native wildlife and the critical role it plays in keeping wild lands in balance," Santarsiere said in a prepared statement.
Santarsiere said her organization oppose any hunting of grizzly bears, saying it would threaten continued recovery of the bears.
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Of course, the AP attaches a photo of a cute, cuddly bear cub to their report.
Subtle, aren't they? I would have preferred this:
But then, I'm a fan of the classics.
Gary James Shelton wrote in one of his Bear Attack books that both Brown and Black bears migrated to the U.S. from Asia and that there is evidence that they did so AFTER Siberian peoples emigrated here.
It was chambered in .25 Remington, .30 Remington, .32 Remington, .35 Remington, and .300 Savage. All of those (especially .25 Remington) would be considered marginal at best these days for grizzly (of all of them, I'd pick .300 Savage).
I wonder what you'd get today if a you asked a firearm manufacturer to design for you an autoloading rifle for brown bear defense.
If I was hunting, I'd get a Browning BAR in .338 Winchester Magnum. 4000 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle!
On the other hand, if it was strictly for defense and I didn't have to pay attention to game laws, I'd use an AR-10 in .308 with a 20 round magazine.
Charles Russell did a painting of a bear over a downed ram. I think it was titled “Who’s meat”. I was partial to it. I don’t hunt the park boundary area (Island Park) country. So I haven’t been to interested in a grizzly hunt. But I am hearing they’ve been protected long enough the fear of rifle fire signals meat on the ground to them instead of a flight response. We have a few grizzly / hunter episodes every year. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. Idaho is grizzly country. People need to act accordingly.
As far as caliber for grizzlies bottom of the scale to me is 300 win-mag then up. Emergency 12ga double 00buck alternating with slugs. Your friend backing up a hunt. Marlin guide in 458 win or similar Hiking with a friend a 22 pistol and tennis shoes. The biggest wild card is they meet you when neither of you expect it.
They. Will. Kill. You.
It’s always interesting in northern Idaho or Montana to take visitors up in the woods where thay see the “Know Your Bears” signs that depict differences between grizzlies and black bears. Huckleberry picking at their own risk.
hunting bears and perhaps killing a couple will actually help the bear population to survive...they must once again have some fear of humans so they don’t wander onto busy roads or go near busy towns, where the chances of them having bad encounters increase...
Just because it is no longer endangered, should they be hunted? I say no. Leave them alone. People are not going around eating Grizzly.
I disagree, as post 11 notes, being hunted will create more wary bears, which will help minimize bear/human encounters.
But, as stewards of God’s creation, we have to be responsible. Limit the number taken each year, and monitor them closely.
At the time the 35 Remington was a pretty stout round especially in an auto loader. I have a Marlin in 35 and it hits feral hogs with authority, not sure it would be my choice for a Grizzly.
“”People are not going around eating Grizzly.””
No but a bear will still go around and eat people from time to time. They also eat cows, horses, sheep and just about anything else they can kill. Bears are no different than any other species of animal, if their numbers go unchecked they become a problem.
Nor should they. Bear meat is rife with parasites that can kill you if not cooked properly.
Because the number of grizzly sighting have increased where we vacation in the Idaho panhandle, I picked up a defense gun just this week: a Marlin model 1895 GBL 45-70. Plan to load it with Buffalo Bore or Garrett Hammerhead ammo when in grizzly country. For close range hairy situations with a bear, the gun has few equals in terms of putting a wide, deep hole in an aggressive animal. Plus, the lever action makes for quick follow-up shots. There is a reason that these guns are so popular with Alaskan bush guides. It wouldn't be my choice if I were hunting grizzlies but inside of 50 yards, nothing will kill them deader.
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