Loophole allows "illegal" bear hunt with dogs--King 5 Story

[fireweed]

http://www.king5.com/tech/science/environment/loophole-allows-illegal-bear-hunt-involving-dogs-every-year/441848427

[ghosthunter]

There is a thread on this already I think.

[singleshot12]

I knew a couple guys who did this. They were nothing but contract killers by the state. They bragged about killing 30+ bears a piece each Spring. Not sure what they did with all the meat either. Very pathetic.  Maybe the people who voted out baiting and hounds are having second thoughts now. Atleast the meat wasn't being wasted before the stupid ban.

[JimmyHoffa]

I don't think it is a loophole.  Isn't it written plainly right there in the law?  The huggers voted for it, so they said it was okay.  And like 99.99% of stuff voted on by the left, the big corporations benefit and everyone else gets the shaft.

[WA hunter14]

I don't think it is a loophole.  Isn't it written plainly right there in the law?  The huggers voted for it, so they said it was okay.  And like 99.99% of stuff voted on by the left, the big corporations benefit and everyone else gets the shaft.

Exactly

[Machias]

Talk about a BS hit piece.

[snake]

Horrible piece of journalism.

[fireweed]

questionable slanted journalism aside, this practice gives away a big game animal--essentially wasting bears. hunters who buy tags and hunt the seasons are loosing out.  And on top of that, these timber companies CHARGE regular season bear hunters to access their damaging bears.  They even charge for spring bear season access, which was set up just for damage control. 

Every time the WDFW has us comment on seasons, my biggest gripe is that timber companies are allowed to charge regular season bear hunters, spring bear hunters, and then have the hound loophole too.  No special seasons or hound permits without free access during regular bear seasons.

[WA hunter14]

Do you not understand why the timber company's greatly prefer letting in a few select guys rather than a pile of boot hunters to kill off the amount of bears they need killed?

[batch]

Talk about a BS hit piece.

exactly

[Alan K]

It's also not about reducing numbers, it's about removing the peeling bears. Boot hunters may or may not be harvesting a peeling bear on a spring bear hunt, in fact I'd guess that more often than not they don't simply because the peelers are living in the thick 12-18 y/o reprod. Most boot hunters harvest in younger stands where they are starting to pull on stumps or feeding on grasses. Boot hunts on the west side have terrible success rates as well. I think the spring bear permits are more of an opportunity given to the hunting community than a major aid to the timber companies.

Not wanting to allow free and unfettered access to their private property is hardly a reason for any landowner large or small to have to incur relentless property damage.

[hunter399]

It's also not about reducing numbers, it's about removing the peeling bears. Boot hunters may or may not be harvesting a peeling bear on a spring bear hunt, in fact I'd guess that more often than not they don't simply because the peelers are living in the thick 12-18 y/o reprod. Most boot hunters harvest in younger stands where they are starting to pull on stumps or feeding on grasses. Boot hunts on the west side have terrible success rates as well. I think the spring bear permits are more of an opportunity given to the hunting community than a major aid to the timber companies.

Not wanting to allow free and unfettered access to their private property is hardly a reason for any landowner large or small to have to incur relentless property damage.

Boot hunter may , or may not be harvesting a peeling bear tells me you don't really know for sure.Unless you shoot the bear in the act of peeling .How do you know where most bear hunters harvest there bear,is there some kind of fact sheet I'm missing.And yes you do need to provide access or suck it up as a loss.Bears where here long before any tree farm.Its about like that guy that shot all those elk and left them to rot , cause he didn't wanna give access to his land for damage permits that the state gave him.

[Humptulips]

Any problems are a direct result of I-655 IMO.
If boot hunters can't target peelers because of the brush I bet bait hunters could.
 A hound hunter killing too many bears? I bet if it was opened up to all hound hunters WDFW would make sure they stayed within their limit.
Oh yea, Lisa Watne and HSUS suckered people into outlawing that.
Probably the two most humane and selective ways to harvest bear passed at the behest of the so called Humane Society.

[hunter399]

 

[snake]

"Peelers" LOL, like its a problem bear who keeps getting into peoples garbage cans. Tree bark is part of their diet this time of year. Let them run the dogs and reduce the numbers.  There are still WAY too many bear in every corner of the state.  HAHA like you can target a "Peeling" bear with dogs, good luck.LOL