Bear problems?

[coloradoman]

So much of this wouldn’t be news if we could bait and use dogs. Such BS!!

More bears in Colorado are getting into human trash, causing conflict

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is seeing more human and bear conflicts, and it says the culprit is trash.

www.nbc11news.com

 

[HntHrdr]

Spring season could put a dent in those problems

 

[elks96]

Spring season and hound hunting. Hell just hound hunting alone would solve the issue…

 

[Deercy]

Spring season and hound hunting. Hell just hound hunting alone would solve the issue…

I like hound hunting...

 

[1989Cohunter]

Drive through aspen at 6 am in the summer. There is no shortage of bears.

 

[accubond]

I hear these things are hell on the fawn crop, if that's the case they can't afford not to better manage this issue. But being from a blue state myself I know that more and more ballot biology is coming Colorado's way! Why are predators Pagan God's and everything they destroy is just no big deal?

 

[Bluehair]

But on the bright side, down here in the SW corner the OTC bear tags seem to have worked to thin them out. That’s based completely on my unscientific observations (and pics from trail cams that have been in the same place for 10 years), so consider it BS if you want.

With the steady population growth and encroachment into formerly wild places, you would expect an increase in encounters. A decrease would be alatming.

 

[fullthrottle]

I hear these things are hell on the fawn crop, if that's the case they can't afford not to better manage this issue. But being from a blue state myself I know that more and more ballot biology is coming Colorado's way! Why are predators Pagan God's and everything they destroy is just no big deal?

Because if the predators control and keep game populations in check, then we don't need hunting. The goal is to end hunting. No hunting means no guns. The agenda is much deeper than just reintroducing predators.
But yet sportsman still support these Jack "A's". Unreal...

 

[elks96]

But on the bright side, down here in the SW corner the OTC bear tags seem to have worked to thin them out. That’s based completely on my unscientific observations (and pics from trail cams that have been in the same place for 10 years), so consider it BS if you want.

With the steady population growth and encroachment into formerly wild places, you would expect an increase in encounters. A decrease would be alatming.

Haha. OTC tags will never get the population in check. A few years back when I dug into this issue I found the state wide bear pppilation goal was 8,000-12,000 bears with the goal of 9,000. At that time the state wide population was estimated to be around 23,000, with some saying as high as 26,000 and low of 20,000. Since then the bear population has increased and some experts are saying we now have over 30,000 bears.

To get the bear population to objective the state would need hunters to harvest around 20,000 bears.

As a result the pathetic hunting opportunity we have will never bring the population down.

 

[HntHrdr]

Haha. OTC tags will never get the population in check. A few years back when I dug into this issue I found the state wide bear pppilation goal was 8,000-12,000 bears with the goal of 9,000. At that time the state wide population was estimated to be around 23,000, with some saying as high as 26,000 and low of 20,000. Since then the bear population has increased and some experts are saying we now have over 30,000 bears.

To get the bear population to objective the state would need hunters to harvest around 20,000 bears.

As a result the pathetic hunting opportunity we have will never bring the population down.

I agree, they could fix it in a couple ways pretty easily. That dang law back in the 90’s hamstrings a lot though with the dates that are in there, even opening up bear hunting the first week of august until end of sept would be huge, most guys I know aren’t going to specifically target bears when deer/ elk season is happening they are usually going to try and get a tag in case they bump into one

 

[Elkasaurous]

I'm against baiting and hounds. I would like to see the rifle season overturned and start in August. Harvest rates would be much better. They will never allow baiting or hounds again.

 

[elks96]

I'm against baiting and hounds. I would like to see the rifle season overturned and start in August. Harvest rates would be much better. They will never allow baiting or hounds again.

You probably bag your own poop as well…

Hounds are the only way Colorado will ever have a chance to manage the population.

 

[Bluehair]

Haha. OTC tags will never get the population in check. A few years back when I dug into this issue I found the state wide bear pppilation goal was 8,000-12,000 bears with the goal of 9,000. At that time the state wide population was estimated to be around 23,000, with some saying as high as 26,000 and low of 20,000. Since then the bear population has increased and some experts are saying we now have over 30,000 bears.

To get the bear population to objective the state would need hunters to harvest around 20,000 bears.

As a result the pathetic hunting opportunity we have will never bring the population down.

I said from my pov, tags went up and bears went down. I never said it was the answer, but at least it‘s something. This place ain’t ever going back to bait and poison.

I don’t have a clue about the statewide situation except what I read here and elsewhere. But I do know what’s happening in my backyard.

 

[elks96]

I said from my pov, tags went up and bears went down. I never said it was the answer, but at least it‘s something. This place ain’t ever going back to bait and poison.

I don’t have a clue about the statewide situation except what I read here and elsewhere. But I do know what’s happening in my backyard.

The data would suggest otherwise. Last year state wide take of all bears with all methods was only around 1400 bears. The state has been giving people 2-3 bear tags a year for almost a decade now.

The point is this bears will move and some years are better than others. Last year was a great year in most of Colorado for moisture and feed. As a result the bears were not pressured into as much conflict with man. A down year for moisture and food and it will feel like the exact opposite…

Simply put on the best harvest years we only see 3-5% of the population harvest. Add in the 400-600 bears killed by the state and we never break 7% of the population.

One thing is for certain the best way to feel like the bear population is down is to actually have a license in your pocket lol…

 

[BradA]

You probably bag your own poop as well…

Hounds are the only way Colorado will ever have a chance to manage the population.

This is true as soon as the use of hounds went away in California the bear population exploded and has since never hit the quota

 

[Bluehair]

The data would suggest otherwise. Last year state wide take of all bears with all methods was only around 1400 bears. The state has been giving people 2-3 bear tags a year for almost a decade now.

One thing is for certain the best way to feel like the bear population is down is to actually have a license in your pocket lol…

This is misleading. The bear licensing was significantly changed in 2019 to allow the “add on” licenses, and the NR fees were slashed.

I took a quick glance at the units where I spend my summers (71/711), and see a jump in harvest after this change, and a tapering off as the population declines (my assertion is still that our local population has declined in the last 2 years). I’m far too lazy to do the analysis.

So in 2019 there was an increased focus on reducing the bear population. That doesn’t mean that I think hunters can eradicate all the bears, but it sure might keep a few out of trash cans until the hunting community can figure out a way to put dogs back under trees.

I am also somewhat surprised that the two units mentioned produce nearly 5% of the statewide bear harvest, and in 2020 accounted for over 100 of the 1500 bears killed statewide. No wonder we don’t have any elk. But then again, I’ve never had much confidence in the DOW population and harvest estimates.

I agree 100% with your last sentence.

 

[txhunter58]

The extra tags will help, but we will never get the poplulation down to stated goals with fall hunting. Bears are smart and have a nose as good as any elk. But is it a no brainer that hunting over bait, with hounds, or in the spring will never return. So anything that helps hunitng in the fall is good. The decrease in price was the best indea in a long time I also like the idea of starting the season in august.

 

[HntHrdr]

I’m all in with getting the season going in august I have to check but the way that bill is written that outlawed the spring season, states something about no hunting from March 1 - sept 1, might be a big hurdle to overcome since I think it’s an actual law and not just a regulation, those anti’s who got this is place screwed us pretty good…

 

[accubond]

Hounds, spring hunts, August seasons should all be on the table until their numbers get back into the galaxy of where they should be. You couple this with wolves and holy buckets, the left pulled the rug right out from underneath us! I live in MN and we have wolves dying of mange and still can't buy a tag. Areas of MN that used to be deer factories are now void of deer and nobody cares.

 

[ORIONTHEHUNTER]

I’m all in with getting the season going in august I have to check but the way that bill is written that outlawed the spring season, states something about no hunting from March 1 - sept 1, might be a big hurdle to overcome since I think it’s an actual law and not just a regulation, those anti’s who got this is place screwed us pretty good…

J Paul Brown tried numerous times to get the bear season to open August 1st when he was a state rep. and it got shot down everytime

 

[Bookhead]

Open it hounds in the spring problem solved I'll even come down and contribute

 

[txhunter58]

That boat sailed long ago, never to return

 

[sneakem]

You'll tree 90% of the bears you run in someone's back yard...

There's no going back at this point. We couldn't even out vote the wolf reintroduction. You really think they're going to let you chase and bait mama bears with cubs.

 

[Bookhead]

You'll tree 90% of the bears you run in someone's back yard...

There's no going back at this point. We couldn't even out vote the wolf reintroduction. You really think they're going to let you chase and bait mama bears with cubs.

Probably not but much easier to tell a boar from a sow from 10 feet away in a tree. but that message will never make it past their thick skulls