406 Forum: Grizzly delisting

The federal government has said delisting grizzly bears from protection under the Endangered Species Act is imminent, and is likely to happen this year.

What are your thoughts about delisting grizzlies, and how do you feel about them being hunted once they’re delisted?

Darrell Slabaugh, Big Sky, Mont. and Whidbey Island, Wash.
Retired

“I don’t think they should be hunted. I think they should be controlled … safely; but hunting them just opens up Pandora’s box. I’m scared of them enough when I hike without bear spray, much less if I have to worry about a guy shooting at me.

It would be nice if there was a way to coexist safely with grizzly bears, or any bears for that matter, and not kill them.”

Charlie Calamoneri, Peachtree City, Ga.
Pilot, Delta

“If it’s left up to the states to decide if you can hunt and if you have to have a tag and how many you have to have, I think … you could still control it. Grizzlies are aggressive versus black bears that aren’t going to bother you as much.

I would be against it unless I thought that they became a nuisance. And even then at the state level if they had a one-week season and they only gave out 10 tags for the year or something, that might not be a big deal.”

Jackie Miller, Big Sky, Mont.
Real estate broker, PureWest

“Grizzly bear numbers are starting to get really high so I feel like hunting with proper regulations is good management. And when I’m out in the forest mountain biking, hiking, doing all those things and the grizzly bears are hunted, they are afraid of humans. Right now they’re not afraid.

If you go to Alaska, they’re afraid of people because they get hunted. So the maulings in Alaska are slim. The average tourist doesn’t understand how aggressive grizzly bears can be, and the difference between grizzly and black is huge. If they run across a grizzly bear and they don’t have bear spray and aren’t prepared, they could die or get really messed up.”