Boycott Bear Hunting Magazine part 1

[Peter Meyer]

If you picked up a copy of the March issue of Bear Hunting Magazine and read "The Bear
Whisperer" column by Dick Scorzafava I hope you were disgusted as I was. The topic was "Hunting Bears Over Bait Is It Fair? Is It Ethical?" He polled four experts on the question. Three were professional guides from Canada. The fourth contributor was
Rex Summerfield. He produces Explorers Big Game Journal's television show. According to the articles author he is a "bear hunter extraordinaire."
A sample of the article clearly shows the quality of journalism this publication is using to portray our sport:

"Most areas that allow baiting are thick, rugged country that does not allow
enough oppurtunities for hunters to harvest a bear without the use of bait.
In cases where irrational emotion instead of good biology had dictated a state's
wildlife policy, such as Washington and California, the local Fish and Game
Departments regularly hire professional hunters and trappers to kill excess
animals which are generally left to rot."

I live in California and this is the most offensive and innaccurate crap I have ever
read. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are pretty rugged country and provide thousands of square miles of prime bear habitat. We don't need bait in California.

[Pops]

whaqt about the northern coastal areas? in simple terms spot & stalk is only a realistic option in open country in the dry parts of the western states. in the wetter heavy undergrowth areas you either need dogs or bait to have any sort of an impact on the populations, and no impact means no management.

[RIFLEMAN]

Hi Peter,

I believe the author's reference to California was mostly in the context of citing "irrational emotion instead of good biology dictating a state's wildlife policy." I absolutely agree with this.

[Jake Bell]

im not too sure but this article looks like its Pro Baiting, whats so wrong with that, with high gas prices isnt it a smart and more economical choice?

[joe janak]

Peter, After reading the short paragraph you posted from the magazine, I see no reason to BAN this magazine as most of what was printed is true. We as hunters need all the publications we can get that educate the public on our style of hunting in a positive way, whether we agree with that style or not. I read the Bear Hunting magazine from time to time and notice they always seem pretty diverse on educating the public on different hunting styles.
I can 't speak for California, but I was around when Washington lost their bear season with hounds. One of the main reasons they lost it was due to the antis playing on the uneducated public's emotions. This was done with commercials, ads, and outright lies by the antis.
We as hunters need to stick together as a group, even though we may not agree with another person's methods..JMO