Judge rules state bear hunt can go forward

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011 | 12:17 p.m.

The first bear hunt in Nevada history will go forward, a district judge ruled today.

Judge James Wilson rejected a petition by a group called NoBearHuntNV to halt the hunt, scheduled to get under way Aug. 20 and continue through Dec. 31. The organization had filed suit and gathered an estimated 10,000 signatures as part of its efforts to stop the hunt.

Wilson said the state Wildlife Commission followed the law in adopting the season and setting the parameters -- the means of killing the bears and the number of licenses to be issued. He said the court doesn't have the authority to question the wisdom of the commission if it has complied with the law.

The state's bear population, estimated at 300, primarily resides in the Lake Tahoe Basin, where NoBearHuntNV is based.

The wildlife commission has issued 45 hunting tags, with a harvest limited to 20 of which only six can be females. Hunters may use rifles and bows. And dogs are permitted in the hunt to track the bears. The fee for a resident tag is $100 and $300 for nonresidents.

In its lawsuit, NoBearHuntNV said public safety would be threatened "by having armed bear hunters with difficult-to-control packs of hunting dogs in the outdoor recreational areas." It also suggested property values in the Lake Tahoe area could be hurt. The group argued that the Wildlife Commission failed to include a statement in its regulation declaring the need for a bear hunt.

Judge Wilson said the group failed to provide any evidence to support its claims.

Safari Club International intervened in the suit arguing the hunt should go forward.

Most Western states hold bear hunts. But opponents said Nevada should distinguish itself by not holding one. Toree Warfield, a resident of Lake Tahoe's Incline Village wrote a commentary in the Nevada Appeal today: "Let's be the only Western state that lives in harmony with its bears." Warfield suggested hunters could go to other states to hunt bears.