California Fish and Game Commission Rejects Petition for More Bear Hunting Tags
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Fish and Game Commission has turned down a petition aimed at increasing the number of bears a hunter can take in a single season. This decision, reached during a meeting that saw participation from both animal rights and hunting advocates, means that hunters in California will still be restricted to purchasing just one bear tag per season.
Joel Weltzien, a member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers who submitted the petition in April, expressed optimism for future discussions. “Yes, the petition was denied and will be referred to the department, but will be discussed hopefully at length in September’s WRC meeting. And that’s kind of where the process stands now,” Weltzien stated.
Weltzien argued that allowing a second bear tag could bring in considerable revenue for the state, which could then be allocated to wildlife management. “A second bear tag is simply a transaction that could result in millions of dollars for the state, all of which would be used to manage wildlife,” he explained.
On the other hand, some attendees voiced their opposition to increasing the bear hunting limit. Jenny Berg, a representative from the Humane World for Animals, raised concerns about the potential impact on bear populations. “Bears have a slow reproduction rate, which makes them vulnerable to overhunting. Hunting bears destabilizes their family groups,” Berg noted.
Berg also pointed out that bears in California are already facing challenges from droughts and wildfires, arguing that additional hunting would not resolve the issues. “I think that the key point here is that we can’t hunt our way out of negative interactions with bears,” she said.
The debate regarding whether California should permit hunters to acquire two bear tags will continue at an upcoming California Wildlife Resource Committee meeting.
Source: https://krcrtv.com/news/local/california-fish-and-game-commission-denies-petition-for-additional-bear-hunting-tags
