Grizzly hunting in the lower 48

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

Gday all,

I've been trying to follow this in the media with much interest but haven't seen anything recently come up.

Does anyone know where things are at the moment?

From an ecologist point of view which is my background I find it fascinating and as a hunter I'm interested from another perspective.

I'd hate to see you guys in the same position as us, for e.g. we have 50 million kangaroos in Australia (compared to 24 million people) and they're still protected wildlife with no recreational hunting available. Here once something is protected it doesn't come back. Our issue there lies partly in the fact that 95% of our population live along the coast in urbanized cities. But I digress,

So any updates?

 

[375H&H]

No hunting season has been set yet in Wyoming, but I believe there will be one within a few years. They spent $45 million working to delist grizzlies from the GYE, so I don't see the MT, WY, and ID G&F stopping now since they have come this far.

You are right though, what better way to show the ecological comeback of any animal and be able to say "look, we have so many of these now we can hunt them and generate more conservation $." That kind of seems like the point of all of this to me.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

In respect to functioning ecosystems I guess I have an alternative view to many but I'm firm in it.

We as humans always seem to view anything we do as artificial and separate from nature. I am of the opinion that given we are animals anything we do is technically a part of nature. There's no greater example of that than our position in the food chain.

Where someone might call a wolf or a grizzly an apex predator in a natural system I'd argue humans are just as much a natural predator in that same system. I think that's where a lot of people struggle, the concept of our continued place within nature. It's the concept of co-dominance that people need to consider and in that respect I beliebe it is imperative that to truly maintain a natural balance humans must be a part of it as a predator and competitor to all other prey and predatory species.

And to be clear I consider being a part of the natural system and simply managing it are different things.

For that reason I think grizzly hunting must be allowed to happen.

Sorry for going a little deeper, get right into this kinda stuff!

 

[ccc23454]

Game and fish is still trying to get a season opened here this year! I did hear but didnt see it myself that someone is trying something in court to block it but only time will tell. It needs to happen, there are just to many and they need to fear humans again. I look forward to the oppurtunity to hunt a lower 48 griz...


Chris

 

[Kiwi]

I’m interested in an update too. Would put in for a tag if it’s not too expensive! Hopefully less than bison.

I’ve elk hunted in grizzly country and seen a few. Hunting them would be a very cool experience.

 

[BuzzH]

I’m interested in an update too. Would put in for a tag if it’s not too expensive! Hopefully less than bison.

I’ve elk hunted in grizzly country and seen a few. Hunting them would be a very cool experience.

NR tags will be $6,000 and Resident tags $600.

The Commission and Department are working on establishing a season and season setting currently.

 

[Kiwi]

Thanks BuzzH, I had better start saving!

Do know if there will be preference points?

 

[ClearCreek]

Thanks BuzzH, I had better start saving!

Do know if there will be preference points?

No preference points proposed for grizzly bears. Probably more like mtn. goat; once in a lifetime.

ClearCreek

 

[406LIFE]

Fwiw, MT already has regs available, tags being $150, $1500. No season has yet been set, but from the scuttlebutt I hear this fall is very real possibility.

 

[devon deer]

I think the reaction on the interweb when the first smiley face appears above a dead Grizzly in the lower 48 will be akin to the reaction when the first wolf got hunted and Cecil the lion got when he we was killed.
Looks like the NR stands little chance of getting a tag, so it looks like my antipodean friends and me stand no chance, not that I could afford one in any case.

Aussie Hunter, surely the damage they roo's cause must in some way justify a declassification?
I thought you could hunt them, show's what I know, they did in Crocodile Dundee!

Badgers are protected in England, in the 'old days' the farmers would cull the badgers and maintain a healthy population, but then they were protected, numbers got out of control, tb became rampant and transferred to cattle (some people say cattle transferred it to the badgers) so test areas have been given a licence to trap/shoot, over 6 weeks in my area 19,000 were killed, but the hate and threats received via the web was crazy!


But as you say, we digress.

Cheers

Richard

 

[BigHornRam]

Legal obstacles are still being dealt with.

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.c...cle_ebc3ee15-95c7-58bb-8854-b86abf3d7a84.html

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

I think the reaction on the interweb when the first smiley face appears above a dead Grizzly in the lower 48 will be akin to the reaction when the first wolf got hunted and Cecil the lion got when he we was killed.
Looks like the NR stands little chance of getting a tag, so it looks like my antipodean friends and me stand no chance, not that I could afford one in any case.

Aussie Hunter, surely the damage they roo's cause must in some way justify a declassification?
I thought you could hunt them, show's what I know, they did in Crocodile Dundee!

Badgers are protected in England, in the 'old days' the farmers would cull the badgers and maintain a healthy population, but then they were protected, numbers got out of control, tb became rampant and transferred to cattle (some people say cattle transferred it to the badgers) so test areas have been given a licence to trap/shoot, over 6 weeks in my area 19,000 were killed, but the hate and threats received via the web was crazy!


But as you say, we digress.

Cheers

Richard

There is commercial harvest and control permits can be issued. I'm an agent on several properties but they aren't available as a game animal. Which is ironic because the government has before said people should eat more roo. I guess they just want us buying it! The only native species we can hunt are ducks and quail pretty much.

It would be good if people didn't feel the need to puff out their chests and put pics everywhere.

 

[mdunc8]

That kind of seems like the point of all of this to me.

The point of griz conservation was to provide the opportunity to kill one to a handful of people a year? Pretty sure that wasn’t the point of all this...

 

[375H&H]

The point of griz conservation was to provide the opportunity to kill one to a handful of people a year? Pretty sure that wasn’t the point of all this...

Well it was one of the 3 main state conservation goals back in 2000 during the round table to have enough griz to allow hunting...

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/con...Carnivore/GB-Mgmt-Plan-Approved-5-11-2016.pdf

 

[6mm Remington]

I sure hope it happens soon that we are allowed a few permits in the state of Montana. I would love the opportunity to hunt one of these wonderful bears even if I never actually got one.

 

[Lonesome_God_outdoors]

Montana said they aren't going to have a season this year. Wyoming is still working on their plans but might have one this fall, doubtful in my opinion, and I've heard nothing from Idaho. I'll try to find the link saying Montana is holding off a year