Shooting Bears: Alaska Board Of Game Expands Aerial Culling Of Grizzly, Black Bears

Los Angeles Times:

Reporting from Seattle— In a new package of policies criticized even by some hunters, the Alaska Board of Game on Tuesday opened the door to aerial gunning of bears by state wildlife officials. It also debated a measure that would allow more widespread snaring of bears — including grizzlies, which are officially considered threatened across most of the U.S.

Read the whole story: Los Angeles Times

Comments

[alaskaoutdoorsman]

02:44 AM on 01/30/2012

Hey most people in Alaska don't want this either. We've voted it down two times.

[peacekitten]

01:31 PM on 01/19/2012

since S P likes to refer to herself as a "mama grizzly," turn her loose to run from armed crzies in low flying aircraft, and see if someone bags her. this is just beyond disgvsting. the people of alaska don't deserve the natural wonders that surround them. they really don't.

[Valerie Valentine]

08:31 PM on 01/18/2012

What did they run out of wolves to kill? Palin used to have the wolves killed and she even did it her self. She was actually going to the wolves dens and pulling out the newborn pups when the mother was out looking for food or she would kill the mothers first and then the pups. These people in Alaska do not appreciate the wild life in their back yards. They should move out of Alaska and instead live in the Urban Jungle. I myself would love to live out in Alaska and be able to see wildlife in their own environment than go to the city zoo to see them.

[Ginzu Mawa]

08:17 PM on 01/18/2012

im not okay with this. its not sportsman-like. also, im not a fan of any "sport" that involves murder or harassing those that do not choose to participate.

do football players tackle people walking down the street? do boxers challenge random people at parties? etc

also, animals are a treasure (5billion years of free technology). nature is too complex for humans to "manage" as evidenced by the extinction event that we have triggered. its too valuable to mess with. esp large predators which have a big and important impact on the eco system.

[Colorado Hunter]

07:09 PM on 01/18/2012

Sportmen like to hunt by ways of stalking, I disagree with hunting out of a plane or land and shoot or snaring of the bear's this is un-sportsmen-like.. It's not in-humane if you shoot something, you kill it. If it's properly done, it's bang, and it's over, with the animal not suffering there has to be a solution to the over population of predators I hope Alaska finds a solution that benifits the state as well as the sportsmen

[Deep Thinking Man]

06:50 PM on 01/18/2012

open season on politicians and the USFWS...anyone ????...anyone ????

[bad spelling grammar]

04:00 PM on 01/18/2012

Americans are officially obsessed with killing, we have more guns than any other country in the world (not to hate on the 2nd amendment) and people are obsessed with being able to use them. Wildlife management has gotten out of control in certain parts of the country where scientific evidence is being replaced with lobbying. People here have absolutely no respect for life which goes hand in hand with our major lack of education. I doubt the people of Alaska are the best and brightest that America has to offer. I absolutely despise hunting unless you are hunting for food, shooting a wolf or bear from the air in no way provides food for anyone. There are not a lot of people who eat bear and I doubt anyone in the US eats wolf. So why are we shooting these animals from the sky and setting traps to which inhumanly harm animals? The answer is not population control, its sheer blood lust. The people of Alaska claim they live up there because of their love for the outdoors but can’t seem to appreciate nature at all. What kind of psychopath actually enjoys slaughtering living things…the people of Alaska!

[Colorado Hunter]

07:47 PM on 01/18/2012

Hunter's like myself hunt predators to provide more animals to eat if there are less bears there will be more Caribou or Moose, and people do eat bears, hunting provides food for my family and it provides income for the small communities I visit through meals or hotels, and when I purchase a license to hunt from a state like Alaska that money is directly funded for other wildlife,by introduction of a species in new areas ect., and it provides food for wildlife in winter months, there are several benifits for myself and the towns I vist and the wildlife

[Valerie Valentine]

08:39 PM on 01/18/2012

You are so right,how about what they were saying a few months back that horse meat is going to offered in American's market.I guess they mean the wild mustangs cause the Government has been trying to eliminate them for years. Horses are a part of America like Football and hot dogs and apple pie. Horses helped build America when there was no cars they helped build the train tracks etc. I myself would like to see wild mustangs running with in the wind.

[fredpa]

03:54 PM on 01/18/2012

It think that if the culling bears is deemed necessary, the deemers should be issued ball peen hammers, allowed to hunt in packs of 30, and let the culling begin.

[Berettasskeeter]

07:25 PM on 01/18/2012

There is no limit to how many hunters may gather, so I'm not sure what you mean. Would you be willing to be dropped off in downtown Detroit with a ball-peen hammer!??
Semper fi

[fredpa]

08:11 PM on 01/18/2012

Sorry, I don't feel the same about the disenfranchised as you seem to feel about bears. I don't know what you have aginst either group. Please explain.

[oheart]

10:42 AM on 01/19/2012

What kinda slur is this about Detroit? Now you're into hunting humans???

[Citizen13]

03:51 PM on 01/18/2012

Why?

[fredpa]

03:57 PM on 01/18/2012

Because culling has a different ring than slaughtering.

[Just4theHalibut]

03:29 PM on 01/19/2012

Culling has a different MEANING than slaughtering. Culling is selective, slaughtering
is indiscriminate. For example, in some populations of critters, non-breeding males are culled (eg. fur seals). In areas where over-population is causing starvation or ill-health, deer may be culled.

[madcityy]

02:29 PM on 01/18/2012

with no sarah there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,this blodsport begins..........i dunt like it........................

[oheart]

01:47 PM on 01/18/2012

We should ask for a boycott of Alaska tourism. These inhumane yahoos need to feel the $$$ crunch.

[eweb544468]

01:54 PM on 01/18/2012

Yes, you are so right. It is all about tourism-they even come from Europe,hire a helicopter to go "hunting". They should feel the $$$ crunch.

[Berettasskeeter]

07:26 PM on 01/18/2012

Good luck with that. Your ignorance of both Alaska, and hunting, is monumental!
Semper fi

[oheart]

09:06 AM on 01/19/2012

Then enlighten us.

[eweb544468]

01:39 PM on 01/18/2012

That is the same State allowing to shoot wolves from helicopters. I saw the picture. A beautiful white wolve,blood dripping,hanging on the helicopters wing. The "hunter" proudly waving his rifle in the air.

[an seanchus mor]

12:55 PM on 01/18/2012

Not sure why black bears are a target, once saw a black bear being chased across the road by a deer, surely this says deers are more dangerous, why are black bears on the culling list?
There were a lot of people living near this black bear.

[Just4theHalibut]

01:28 PM on 01/18/2012

Once, in SE Alaska, my little bichon frise chased a black bear cub. That incident did not "say" to me that it was safe for me to get in the cub's mama's face!!!

Please re-read the article. It's not about "danger" to people. It's about more deer/caribou for people. I'm not saying I agree with the approach.

[an seanchus mor]

01:59 PM on 01/18/2012

My point about people is that they didn't view the black bear as a threat (not like grizzly's), in fact it was an afterthought which I contemplated removing for the reason that it complicated the black bears inability to threatening a deer.

My point about the deer is that it chased this bear, so how is this animal a threat to herds of moose and caribou, bigger than both people and deers.

Perhaps Alaskan infrastructure is affecting migratory grazing, perhaps melting permafrost is affecting migratory grazing,
perhaps declining population isn’t all due to bears?
(this is just an aside, the quick-fix kill-‘em-all-and-let-god-sort-it-out might infact be inhibiting real solutions and teh anti-science brigade have no time to consider options)

I understand that grizzlies might be a different matter but don't they usually go fishing?

[an seanchus mor]

03:02 PM on 01/18/2012

My reply seems to have got lost so here’s the second.

I see the confusion.
My point is a deer chased a black bear, therefore deer are a danger to black bears.
Therefore by extension, not a threat to similar but larger moose and caribou.

Only mentioned people as an after-thought, I suspected I shouldn’t and this proved right.

However the people there just said ‘oh yeah we’ve a lot of them here’, and apparently a lot of deer too, it was an ill-thought attempt at demonstrating the insanity of culling black bears.

[rgocargo]

12:38 PM on 01/18/2012

All for greedy humans.

The moose and caribou decline is human based, not bear based. Most Alaskans have problems with bears because the come down into towns and cities and forage for food in trash dumpsters and trash cans. If Bears were living high off the wildlife, they would NOT be entering human populated areas looking for food. Bears are STARVING in Alaska because of Human hunting decimating their food supply!

[eweb544468]

01:44 PM on 01/18/2012

not just "greedy humans", but for "fun loving hunters".

[oheart]

01:49 PM on 01/18/2012

But the aerial slaughter (it's not hunting) because, even with a gun they are too cowardly to face a bear or wolf one on one.

[g-moi]

11:59 AM on 01/18/2012

Man this must really irk the Tree Huggers.
It does irk me. A proud Tree Hugger. I happen to believe that animals have a right to be here as well. I also don't understand the mentality of killing off so much of nature. The Creator had a beautiful plan, and it included animals as well as humans. I love the majestic bears, elephants, tigers, gorillas, everything down to the little rabbits and chipmunks. I hope the generations that come after us will have a chance to also see wildlife.

[eweb544468]

01:48 PM on 01/18/2012

You spoke for me. Thank you.

[oheart]

01:50 PM on 01/18/2012

Good statement.