Nevada's First Black Bear Hunt Considered A Success

摘要

Nevada's first ever black bear hunting season took place August through December of 2011. Black bears and grizzly bears were hunted in the late 1800s but not within a managed and legal framework. Following extirpation by the 1930s from almost the entire state Nevada's black bear population has been increasing since around 1980. Two studies conducted on this bear population, the first 1987-1991 and the second 1997-present, have focused on various demographic questions and have produced four population estimates over the years (150, 180, 253 and 456). One of these, produced in 2010 helped support the decision to hunt this population of bears. As expected, there was some opposition to the hunt, mainly from a small but vocal group of people in Lake Tahoe accustomed to living with conflict bears at the urban interface, some of which they had given personal names to. A group named NobearhuntNV.org sued to stop the hunt, not on the biology or science, but rather claiming that in establishing the hunt certain state regulations were violated. This petition was denied a few weeks later allowing for the hunt to commence. Although these hurdles had to be crossed, both before and during the hunt, it was considered a success because it accomplished what it was designed to do - provide a recreational hunting opportunity of a growing and sustainable bear population, and thereby establishing a funding program for conservation of the species in the state.