Interesting anecdote regarding CA bears.
In the mid 90's I worked on the North Coast for a timber company. The bears, and there were many on the property, rested during the worst of winter which doesn't amount to much over there except a bunch of rain (80"-100+"). Come springtime they were hungry and would strip the bark off younger redwoods to get at the cambium, damaging or killing the tree. Not good when redwood was going for around $1, or more, a board foot stumpage then.
The company asked CDFG if they could buy us hunters our bear tags (a perk, we employees got to hunt deer on the timberlands) . Game and Fish told them that was a no-no. We were bummed, a free bear tag would have been cool. We had some really pretty ones, and more than a few decent sized ones.
