Grizzly bears are a paradox — at once valued and vilified, long-studied yet mysterious, powerful but vulnerable. Currently, they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. However, last fall Governor Bullock convened an 18-member Citizen’s Advisory Council to recommend how the complex animals should be managed by the state if, in the future, those protections are removed.
I commend the council members for the time, energy and thought they have dedicated to this difficult task — particularly during recent months under such trying circumstances.
One issue the council is grappling with is whether, or to what extent, grizzly bears should be hunted. The Council should recommend instead that FWP continue its important focus on conflict prevention, public education, and long-term recovery, and not subject grizzlies to a future hunt.
Importantly, such a recommendation would not be “anti-hunting.” Instead, it would be a recognition that there are…
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Exposing the Big Game 