Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game washington spring bear cancelled

I just read that Washington state has cancelled their spring bear season-----5 to 4 vote of the wildlife commissioners.

“Is there a problem officer?”

Osky

Any reasons or logic given for this edict?

I'm just guessing some whiny millennial was worried about cubs getting orphaned.

I lived in WA for a little while, they have the most phouced up F&G dept. Ive ever seen.

Canceled as in just for 2022, or eliminated as in no longer from here on out?

Guess no more:

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/n...-votes-down-spring-bear-hunt-2022-03-19/

When the generic terms “experts” and “possible threats” are thrown around science and common sense are abandoned.
Minnesota is going that way as well with fewer and fewer tags every year while at the same time the no quota numbers rise and bears are expanding to Iowa and the Dakotas.
40 years plus of bear hunting and I’ve never seen as many as we have here, yet our hunting season as well is in danger.
Very sorry to hear that for you hunters in Washington. At least the expanding grizzly population will have more black bear stew to eat.

Osky

I worry that these type moves will eventually relinquish us to just telling hunting stories to our grandkids instead of taking them.

In 1992 a citizen ballot initiative in Colorado prohibited the hunting of bears from Mar through Aug, and prohibited the use of hounds and baiting for bear hunting. One could still hunt bears with seasons that ran concurrently during the deer and elk seasons in the fall.

The anti hunters (although they denied they were anti hunting) often cited and most effective argument was too many cubs were killed during the spring.

Prior to the initiative spring bear hunters killed on average 4-5 lactating sows during that spring season. CPW figured 1-2 of those sows on average had the cubs die in the den. In other words about 3 sows accompanied by cubs were killed during spring bear season out of an average of 300+ bears killed each spring.

Two-three years after the ballot initiative passed CPW started a September bear season that is draw only (the anti hunters howled in protest). But now we were limited to spot and stalk (or find a dead elk or cow to sit over which is sometimes possible). Because hunters were now reduced to shooting a bear when they see one, instead of being able to see a sow and cub together in the tree or at a bait site (because the cub doesn't get far from momma during the spring nor will most ethical houndsman want to turn their dogs out on a sow with cub because she will tear into the dogs most of the time), September bear hunters kill MORE lactating bears during the September season than they did in the spring bear season.

Just nobody tell the bunny huggers...........

The restrictions on bear hunting will yield spectacular results, the bear population will double or triple in just a few years, and then boys, watch your Columbian Blacktail numbers plummet. California is the blueprint on how to destroy a healthy deer population. We proved it, 40 yrs or so the buck harvest was around 750,000, latest survey 14,000. Can't blame it on bears totally, highway kills are way up as deer move to populated areas to avoid predators, Mountain lion control has been eliminated, they have gone from bounty payments to total hunting ban, EVERY single move Calif F&G has made, has been to the detriment of the deer. And boy did it bring results.

Doesn't matter when you kill the females, they will never reproduce again. That's why spawning season closers don't work in fishing. I'm a big proponent for (TAC) total allowable catch or kill. The biologist will never listen to those who know what is really happening.

This is too bad. There's already an army of Washington license plates here in Idaho, I suppose it will only get more crowded.

On purpose by the way.

Ted just for this year so far. Guess they’ll have another vote in a couple months to permanently shut er down, I’m sure they’ll shut er down permanently.

I would bet my next paycheck on it.

That Army of hunters from Washington didn't stop in Idaho. They're invading Wyoming as well.

Yup.

I quit hunting the home state a looong time ago. I always head East.

No worries tho, in 2 years my better half puts in her retirement papers and we'll head East permanently.

When I lived in Washington state the bear population was already huge. Fuggin bears getting into the trash and harassing kids walking to school, that was in 1986-89. Gotta love them green idiots.

Could you explain your rational more? There is a lot more to wildlife management than just to kill or not to kill the females. Stress levels and their calorie needs different times of the year, not to mention average success rates of hunters factored in and a lot of other factors have a big effect on how season dates, bag limits and other regs are set.

That really has no bearing on this particular situation as the spring closure seems to be political. I doubt anyone would argue that but am curious to hear more about your rational concerning killing the females in general.

Is your complaint more about deer and elk hunters or do you actually have a problem with non resident bear / predator hunters? I wish more non residents would come hunt bear in washington. With the august first opener and high bear populations our fall hunt is an excellent opportunity for non residents thats totally overlooked.
My washington plate will be up in unit 1 idaho this spring and fall but im only hunting bear wolf and lion. As for non resident deer and elk hunters, thats been limited by idfg now.

That’s a scary site, one if the big lefty groups opposed to the spring bear hunt.

I see they want ‘energy justice’, even though the lefties want to do away with gas & oil. That justice includes more/longer moratoriums on disconnects & ‘forgiveness’ of energy bills?

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/energy-justice-during-crises/

They want to do more than do away with oil and gas. They'd be elated to see the dams on the Snake and Columbia breached and removed. Most of that power goes along the I-5 corridor but don't tell them that. Eco warriors, at least until someone shuts off their power and utilities.

It’s only going to get worse. This state is fugged.

FIFY

This is going to hurt my buddies in Forks, Washington. Again.

I’m sure that the Native Americans will abide the ruling.
Sarc)

The only thing worse than politics in wildlife management is when they try to manage the hunters instead of the wildlife. I'm all for the killing females of any species till you hit the sustainable yield level. It's impossible to basis kill ratio off an animals stress level or calorie needs, nothing in nature is guaranteed from year to year. Hunter success can be manipulated through technique, weapons and timing of season. Manage the wildlife not the people and everything will be fine. The problem is the liberals don't operate like that.

Yup.

I saw the writing on the wall long ago. When my youngest grauduated high school I got the fk out. All my west side buddies tell me I told them when my youngest graduates I'm gone.. He was 6yrs old. 6 yrs ago he finished high school at 18. He graduated in may and I moved to idaho in june. Its a great state getting azz fked by leftist scum scuckers.

Colorado Bob: I just got done hosting a "taxington" resident yesterday and he told me about this "change" by the fish and game cretins there.
I was stunned by this idiotic policy change.
His take was the "greenies" wish to see more Black Bears on their "woods walks" and have brought pressure upon the fish and gamies.
And that is what is motivating this closure on Hunting Black Bears in the spring.
This is nothing more than an attack on Hunters and Hunting!
My advice to taxingtonians - move thefuck out of that schithole of a state ASAP!
YOU.... only live ONCE!
Sad.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

No VG let them there. They will only screw up somewhere else.

Freaking Corksuckers! The spring bear hunt was my favorite hunt by far when I lived in Walla Walla. I was lucky and drew it a few times. Had some fantastic hunts and took some great bears. I hate liberals!

Rufous: The first fifty years of my life I held liberals in "disdain" - they have screwed this country up so much in the last 24 years that at age 74 now, I join you in "hating" them!
I am convinced that liberals in America are trying to destroy all of our traditional values (including Hunting!) and ultimately want to destroy our once great country!
I don't know why?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I agree for the most part. There are certainly many liberals who are not actively trying to destroy our country but their policies are doing so whether they know it or not.

I can tell ya this much,, Washington folks just sitting back watching and doing nothing but bitchin. Nobody raising hell. If ya don't fight like hell what do ya think is gonna happen? Passive as [bleep] laying back watching their rights being taken away. Once they are gone? Good [bleep] luck....... Typical for Washington tho... Lifetime bud is a fishing quide in Wa. Goes to WDFW meetings and has been telling me for years and years the only folks showing up at those meetings fighting for their rights are Guides and Indians and tree huggin [bleep]. Sportsmen no shows. All Bark no bite. In Idaho? Sportsmen out number guides and Indians 7 fold. Stop bittcchin get your azs to meetings with all your buddies and fight like hell! Or SHUT the [bleep] STFU and sit on the porch like a good lil biatch..

I heard all of the anti gunners at BHA are over this fighting for the rights of hunters with their millions of dollars. Ill bet BHA helped right this anti hunting legislation

Welcome to Colorado...no spring bear, no bear baiting, no bear hounds, no trapping of anything...

And now the "biologists" think there are too many bears. (rolleyes)

Coupla years ago my buddy from Dewitt Iowa had a large black bear in his yard. Well documented and followed bear that I think was eventually destroyed.

Iowa Black Bear

I have a pic on my laptop that my buddy texted me. His daughter took it in a bean field across from their house. Imgur won't accept it or I'd post it up here.

Even Illinois has had several well documented bears in recent years. One wound up in a zoo.

Shag hit the nail on the head. How else would you end up with a libtard dipschidt governor like Jay Inslee?

FJB and Inslee, too!

Too bad WA regs prohibit taking of cubs and sows with cubs. /sarc

Funny thing is they actually dont. Pretty much every other state does. It is in fact perfectly legal to kill a cub or a sow accompanied by cubs in washington.

Go hunt anyway. Fucque them clowns.

No shi+?

Inconceivable.


That's the fix that's needed.

WA is a bunch of idiots

Dye7barrel: Sadly your contention is 100% correct.
"taxington" - a great place to be FROM!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Fished last weekend with a pard that does hound work for the state, one of the reasons was, “killing a bear in the spring is as easy as killing a buck in velvet “.. what a joke

Too many unfilled spring bear tags for that to be remotely true.

Yep agreed👍

First step, Spring Bear. Second Step, Fall Bear. Third Step Elk, Forth Step Deer, Bam no hunting in WA. Give them an inch and they will take a foot.

He collars lions for the skok Indians and wdfw, said you’d be amazed at just how many elk and deer they’re actually eating. Gonna get real interesting in the next 10 years or so.

Said no one that’s hunted spring bear.

Not bears or lions but a bud had a camera set up on a coyote den a few years back. He got something over 20 whitetail fawns that the bitch had brought back to the den site.

I would say these predators kill far more critters than we really know.

Yep add wolves, bobcats, no trapping or hound huntin, your gonna have problems..

We do have Bobcats. Far more than anybody sees.

I have killed 1, missed one w my bow 30 years ago and seen a couple others in the wild.

I see probably 20 a year hit on the roads.

You can have those wolves. We had our first bear season last year.

https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-reports-missouri-hunters-took-12-black-bears-during-first-season

If he's truly a bud, you'll be doing him a great service in encouraging him to do some research on how coyotes feed their pups – he'll no longer be so quick to reveal to the world that he's a major-league-bullszchitter.

Iron Ironbender, I have hunted spring bear a fair bit and would have to say that overall in the areas I have hunted it has been fairly easy to notch a tag. I have not notched every spring bear tag that I have had though. Partly because I was picky and looking for mature boars but a couple times I just didn't have a good opportunity. It certainly depends on where one is hunting as well as the weather and snow pack when one is hunting. Anyway most of my hunts I saw plenty of bears but I also actually hunted and hunted hard. Many I think don't really put in much effort.

I got an email survey from wdfw yesterday covering a range of topics from deer to bears, lions and bobs. Of the several bear questions, one was asking do you support an otc spring bear season. Never thought theyd even pretend to entertain the idea of that being an option.

Congrats on all your success. I imagine there are areas that are harder to hunt or have lower success rates, and lower bear densities?

No doubt Ironbender. I was fortunate to live in an area that had bears and I hunted hard and figured out how to succeed. I didn't fill every spring bear tag because I was picky and looking primarily for mature boars but sure had fun either way. I hope that Washington will reinstate the spring bear hunt. An OTC tag would be awesome.

I doubt WA will do an OTC spring bear. Under current rules, Bear licenses bought with a deer/elk combo don’t generate much revenue. Special permit application fees do generate extra revenue over and above regular Bear tags. I saw several bears around during fawning season but they likely have moved up high