Trophy hunters rarely leave the meat unharvested, and I doubt that there is an epidemic of gall bladder-less bears littering our forests. If you have proofs to the contrary, I’d love to see them.
Poaching of all kinds of animals is a problem. Anybody who says it isn’t is either misinformed or lying.
I don’t care if this article is about 20 years old. If it was a problem back then, it likely still is.
Well I've heard stories in the West Virginia mountains of cute sows enticing the boars leading them to fermenting blackberry bushes. Poor fellas fall down dead drunk in some flea bag cave, knocked out for the winter. Waking up in the spring with a missing gall bladder and no sows to be found. Sad, sad story.
I agree, trophy hunters aren’t looking to sell gall bladders in any case. Just selling one ain’t worth the cost of the license and is a federal offence to start with. It is the poachers, not legitimate hunters, who engage in that trade.
JC