Just wondering what if

[lil wasper]

I do not want to offend anyone just want opinions. What if all the bear hunters in TN was more conservative on the bear they harvested? Such as leaving sows a yearlings what would our population do in three or four years how would the seasons change would we get to hunt more like in WV just wanted to throw that out there and see what people would say

[Bplott]

Thats a touchy subject with alot of people because lota folks have the mentality if it climbs it dies....From the studies on bear that i have read and the people that study bears out here in utah. To maintain a healthy bear population harvesting 25-30% females on a given unit or area is to much...what people seem to always forget in 10yrs a sow may only have 3-5 cubs that each 2yrs old and the obvious once there dead they quit leaveing tracks..

[plottpappaw]

sex is hard to determine sometimes. i myself prefer to only take bears that look to be 200 plus. that eliminates taking yearlings and smaller sows. the downside is you may let an older bear that needs to be removed from the breeding pool go. in nc our population is growing but with that i believe with more bears and more chances to harvest a bear comes being more selective in order to preserve our population.