Due to a deluge of comments by more than 27,000 sportsmen and women and other concerned citizens, a state senator withdrew a bill aimed at banning the hunting of black bears in California one week after presenting it.
An animal rights group referred to California’s black bear population as “fragile,” yet according to the Sacramento Bee, black bear numbers more than doubled over the last 40 years with a current conservative estimate between 30,000 and 40,000.
Biologists utilize hunting as a tool to manage the populations of black bears and other wildlife species. State agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) rely on funding generated by hunters to manage wildlife populations. According to CDFW data, the state’s more than 30,000 bear hunters generated $1.39 million in 2020.
(Photo credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife)