Wyoming plans for grizzly season

BOISE – Wyoming game officials say they will institute the state’s first grizzly bear hunting season in more than 30 years if the bear is removed from federal protection, but Idaho and Montana say it is too early to make such a decision.

The comments came after the Interior Department announced Tuesday it will propose that bears around Yellowstone National Park be removed from federal protection under the endangered species law. Officials said that grizzly population in the area has grown to an estimated 600 since the bears were put on the threatened species list in 1975.

The three states bordering Yellowstone all have management plans, approved by the federal government, that include provisions for hunting the bears if their populations rise above certain levels.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials said after Tuesday’s announcement that the state will use a grizzly hunting season – Wyoming’s first since 1973 – to keep the population in check.

“Any type of hunting that does take place is going to be very conservative,” said John Emmerich, assistant chief of the wildlife agency. But, he said, “I think there will be a tremendous demand for trophy licenses.”

He said the state has already set hunting license fees at $500 for residents and $5,000 for nonresidents.

It’s not yet clear how many bears might be killed in a Wyoming hunt. Wyoming Game and Fish spokesman Eric Keszler said grizzly mortality is now about 4 percent per year there from all causes, and the agency would allow that to increase to 9 percent per year.

But hunting will not be significant to the overall population, Emmerich said.

“We’re still talking about a very low number of bears being removed in any given year,” Emmerich said. “Those removals will have very little effect on the overall population structure.”

Both Idaho and Montana say they are not ready to make a decision on hunting.

“We don’t have very many bears on the Idaho side,” said Steve Nadeau, a bear biologist at Idaho Fish and Game. That doesn’t mean a grizzly hunt won’t happen later if the population appears to be doing well, he added.

Ron Aasheim, a spokesman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said if the bears are removed from the list, Montana will manage them as it does other game.

“We want the bear to remain healthy and off the list,” said Aasheim. “Before we would ever hunt, we would have public hearings. … We’re a long way from that.”

The plan to remove the animals from the federal list must undergo a public comment period before it is approved.