Did my inspection last night. The Bio was easy going.
this was his first bear with the new process so he was learning as he went. I asked why this was being done and was told this is a way to figure out age and gender of bears being harvested in the spring to see impact on populations (basically taking a spring sow impact populations more than later in the year). So it does appear to be a way to gather data to prove/disprove impact of spring bear hunting (as suspected). He did say that he can choose SOW, or lactating SOW in his options so make sure the right one is selected if you picked up a sow.
One thing I found worrisome was that there was no "receipt" of our interaction to prove I went through the process.
The Bio gave me his card and said I could send him an email that he would reply to confirming the pelt submission, and tooth collection. I did so, and he replied. I would recommend everyone do this!
Does anyone know if hunters who submit teeth get a report of the age of the bear harvested?
