Not that I'm going to side one way or the other... but bear breeding season is from May to June/July (spring bear season). You have a species with a low population density that, according to species conservation, needs all the help it an get to increase the population, which is what they (WDFW) desire. It was most likely considered that the number of people running around the area hunting would adversely affect breeding. Hence it is closed in the spring and open in the fall.
i have not seen any shortage of bear in 113. It may not have the numbers 117 has but there are plenty of bear IMO. I also don't see a spring bear season being pressured enough to upset the breeding season 
since they control how many tags are issued.
To be fair I only hunt the kings lake /skookum's area of 113
I would agree as long as we are talking black bears, however we were discussing grizzly bears. So the response is to say that a spring bear season (for black bears) maybe enough disruption during the bear breeding season (taking into account grizzlies are breeding also) to cause WDFW to not offer any tags for that unit, but still offer OTC bear fall tags during a time when the breeding season is completed.
This has nothing to do with the black bear population which I agree is very high, only to provide an answer for (huntnnw) why there is a OTC fall hunt and no spring tag in 113.
117 and 111 both have been known to have grizzlies through the area, but not a population or listed as a grizzly recovery area.
i see what your saying. I hope your wrong. I hope wdfw is not taking away opertunitys away from hunters just to maybe not interrupt the growth of one more apex predator in NE. 113 has way too many predators. One of the reasons I spend so much time there, hunting predators.
I hope I'm wrong as well, but they have increasing road closures, no spring bear tag, most of the area is listed grizzly recovery area, and no one (Forest Service / WDFW) has provided a better response to the situation. Attached is the endangered species list for Washington State on the grizzly bear; read the third page under limiting factors and you will see the reasons decisions are made; one being human disturbances.
I have to deal with the National Environmental Policy Act on a daily basis and can almost guarantee that under the NEPA study for grizzly bears, spring hunting was discussed, because that is the law to engage all aspects. Once an aspect is listed under NEPA as "may affect" it needs to be studied to find out if that is true and to what extent. Most of the time the study is not completed elsewhere to reference and there is no budget to complete a study and/or its except able to avoid the situation all together that would cause the need for a study.... or no spring bear hunting.
