Barn Owl

Thomas D. Mangelsen, who has lived near Grand Teton National Park for four decades, said in an interview this week that he will use the permit to shoot bears as he has always done — with a camera, not a gun.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2018/08/01/a-wildlife-photographer-won-a-permit-to-shoot-grizzlies-heres-what-hes-doing-with-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6906a83e7059

will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

The absurdity of killing these bears is beyond comprehension. It would take a sociopath to want to do this.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Good for Thomas

Don

dancers Loc: melbourne.victoria, australia

I agree. but people kill other people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

My hat is off to Mangelsen. I hope he don't end up on the menu.
While I no longer hunt I think its everyone's right to do so within the limits of the law.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Politicians do what it takes to get votes. Maybe they'll be issuing permits to "Shoot Your Enemies."

DIRTY HARRY Loc: Hartland, Michigan

maybe there is a compromise here. Allow the hunt, but only allow humans to use hand wielded knives or swords. So if you want one of these as a trophy, you really have to fight for it! Oh, and obtaining a license strips you of the right to any government funded medical treatments related to the hunting forever.

DIRTY HARRY Loc: Hartland, Michigan

This is the REST OF THE STORY:

Once-protected grizzlies to be hunted in Wyoming

Goodall among activists seeking license, to keep them away from bear hunters

Trevor HughesUSA TODAY

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - International animal conservationist Jane Goodall has applied for a grizzly bear hunting permit in Wyoming amid an increasingly bitter dispute between hunters and environmentalists over plans to let people hunt the onceprotected animals.

Goodall is one of about 7,000 people who applied in the first hunt of the bear since it was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1975. The Trump administration rolled back the bear's protections last year, and Wyoming Game & Fish officials are letting people kill up to 22 bears this year, although the hunt is structured in a way to make it highly unlikely that many will be killed.

Activists like Goodall plan to “Shoot 'em with a camera, not a gun,” if they get one of the limited licenses.

It's unclear exactly how many activists have entered the license lottery, but their effort has infuriated hunters who have funded the bears' recovery via licensing fees and spent more than 40 years watching the population slowly rebound. Although most of Wyoming is highly conservative and supports the hunt, opposition is centered in the generally liberal and wealthy Jackson Hole. Hunters who win licenses will be informed shortly before the start date, and only a small number will be allowed to hunt at a time, to avoid accidentally killing more bears than permitted.

“It's like being Monday-morning quarterbacked by people who don't really have a clue what's happening on the ground,” said longtime Wyoming hunting guide Sy Gilliland, a spokesman for the hunting community. “The science backs this up. This bear population has recovered. It's delisted. The bear isheavily studied. It's heavily monitored.”

When Lewis and Clarkexplored the West in theearly 1800s, federal officialssaid, an estimated 50,000grizzly bears roamed between

the Pacific and the Great Plains. Today there are only about 1,700 grizzlies in the Lower 48 states, officials said. And although the grizzly population is much smaller than it once was, the bears pose an undeniable threat to people who live near them.

Hunters tell stories of grizzlies killing young elk or calves for sport and of the risk that too many grizzlies pose to people using public lands. Although black bears are far more common, they're generally docile and run from humans. Grizzlies are potentially more violent.

Wildlife officials in Wyoming last year killed at least 14 grizzly bears that attacked livestock or threatened humans. Hunters killed another nine bears that were threatening them, and at least one bear was killed by a car. Many of Wyoming's grizzly bears live around Grand Teton National Park, outside Jackson, and photographing them from the roadside is a popular tourist activity. World-renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelson, who has spent decades photographing the bears around Jackson, has also requested a license to deny it to a hunter.

Environmental groups argue that the hunt is neither necessary nor humane. They said it sends the wrong message to kill bears after decades of work to raise their numbers. Federal officials removed the bear's protections last year after the population rebounded to at least 700 in the Yellowstone area, from an estimated low of 136 in 1975.

Although some groups are fighting the hunt in court, other activists have recruited Goodall to highlight the fight and erected billboards in Wyoming and Colorado showing friendly looking grizzlies with the tagline, “I'm not a trophy.”

A billboard near the Colorado-Wyoming border asks drivers to oppose a grizzly bear hunt in Wyoming that is scheduled to start Sept. 1. Environmentalists have thrown their hats in the ring to win - and not use - permits.TREVOR HUGHES/USA TO

HardwareGuy

Teach the grizzlies to shoot, give them a high-powered rifle, and THEN you can call it a "sport".
Remember the bumper sticker, "Defend the right to arm bears!"

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Well, yes, and they are sociopaths as well!

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Yep. One less gun in the forest.

Goober Loc: Southeastern PA

Will47, I have to agree with you. I have a big problem with trophy hunting and unfortunately bear hunting is usually for trophy. I just returned from spending several days in remote areas of Kodiak Island photographing the Kodiak Brown Bears. It was an incredible experience seeing these magnificent, beautiful creatures in their own habitat. On a couple occasions when sows with cubs chased a couple lone bears away that ran within about 12 and 30 feet away from me and a couple other photographers, we never felt threatened at all. The sow doing the chasing would stop about 30 feet or so from us and go the other way......they really don’t want anything to do with humans. Another case, one of the guys caught a salmon and about 5 minutes later a boar showed up and wanted that fish. He came within about 35 feet of us and when we waved our arms and hollered at him he turned away to the other side of the creek. Our guide was armed but we photographers were not and never felt we needed to be.

Always make certain the bears know you are there, never approach them, don’t get between a sow and her cubs or in her “space” and be careful what foods or snacks you have in your backpack.

Yes, sometimes a bear attack does happen but is a rarity and there is usually a reason for it. These bears are amazing creatures and just trying to survive life like the rest of us. These bears are not the ruthless killers that people like to think they are. I know it is tough to convince the ranchers of this.

ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

I have no problem with hunting to gather food. I have a lot of trouble with hunting for a trophy to hang on your wall.

egegikbob

Interesting responses from a number of people with all the "good" thoughts. I live in Alaska where we wake to find another adult or child eaten by both brown & black bears......Big bears have no real predators except starvation. And starvation from over population
results in human injury. I hope if you visit our great state, you or or loved ones will not be attacked by a bear...a horrible experience. Stop pontificating in area that need to left to science-based wildlife management. You will be helping the bears and the people who live in areas where bear populations are too high to be supported by the natural diet. Let the experts thin the predators where needed.

ottopj Loc: Annapolis, MD USA

Agree