It Maybe a Dismal Place but the Bears Like It.
349 applications were received for the lottery draw of 100 permits for the Dismal Swamp’s December bear hunt. This will be the first bear hunt in the Dismal Swamp on the Virginia side in a longtime. This is prime bear habitat and its great to see the population is doing so well that hunting as a management tool needs to be utilized.
Studies estimate the swamp’s bear population to be between 275 and 350, a number wildlife officials say won’t be severely affected by a hunt. Officials are capping at 20 the maximum number of bears to be killed.
“We have a healthy and thriving population,” said Bob Duncan, wildlife division director for Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. “The black bear is a very adaptable critter. Very resilient. They’re just continuing to expand.”
Of course not everyone is happy with the hunt
”Black bears are beautiful, gentle creatures, and we want the government to allow them to live in peace on the wildlife refuges,” said Stephanie Boyles, a wildlife biologist for Norfolk’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Link to Daily Press VA
Cool story brotha. Wish you could have got one, after all the head ache. T.
[...] Back on September 8th I brought you the story of a proposed bear hunt in the Virginia portion of the Great Dismal Swamp. Moose Droppings has the updated story of the event. [...]
Pingback by Black Bear Blog » Blog Archive » Great Dismal Swamp Bear Hunt — October 9, 2006 @ 9:45 am
[...] As noted in an earlier post out here Virginia is having a limited draw hunt for bear permits in the Dismal Swamp. 100 permits were drawn but only 20 bears will be taken. Today’s News and Observer has a story about how the wacko’s have started a letter and petition campaign to get the hunt canceled. Two animal rights groups have launched a campaign to cancel a black bear hunt in the Great Dismal Swamp scheduled for Friday and Saturday. In Defense of Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute argue that the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, on the Virginia-North Carolina border, did a shoddy job of studying the refuge’s bear population, upon which the hunt is based. “The foundation for the hunt is extraordinarily fragile,” said D.J. Schubert, a wildlife biologist with the Animal Welfare Institute. The number of bears killed is capped at 20. One hundred hunters selected in a lottery can participate. Each paid $50 for the privilege. “The only reason to allow the slaughter is to appease a small minority who take pride and pleasure in killing defenseless animals, and it’s just not right,” said Kristie Phelps, a member of In Defense of Animals. The groups have started a letter-writing campaign and petition online. [...]
Pingback by Moose Droppings » Wackos Get Organized Against Dismal Swamp Bear Hunt — November 26, 2006 @ 10:05 pm
[...] Dismal Swamp Bear Hunt The Hunt is a Go [...]
Pingback by Moose Droppings » Dismal Bear Hunt Results in No Kills — December 4, 2006 @ 12:13 am