ofbandg
Well-Known Member
British Columbia outlawed Grizzly hunting as a result of pressure by anti-hunting groups. Politics is a strange puzzle until you learn to understand it's all about votes and getting re-elected. Grizzly bears are difficult to count because of their migration patterns and when one side of an argument says there are only 5000 bears left, while the official count is 15000, it's virtually impossible to verify either figure. Government biologists felt pretty secure about their estimate because grizzly hunting in BC had been on a lottery draw for many years where all kills had to be reported - and the permits issued were based on the official numbers. Any significant drop in kills would have been noticeable. This is the science of it. Unfortunately science is only a factor to politicians when it suits them. The anti-hunting groups ran television commercials showing grizzly sows playing with their cute little cubs in high alpine meadows while voicing their arguments for stopping the hunt. They told of how "trophy" hunters are endangering the existence of these wonderful creatures. They left out that for many years it had been illegal to kill cubs, or any adult bear in the company of cubs. They also left out that it's likely more of these cubs were killed by predators, particularly large male bears, then hunters every year.