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Monday, Aug. 15, 2011 | 6:29 p.m.
It looks like Nevada’s going on a bear hunt Saturday.
Gov. Brian Sandoval has ignored pleas for him to block Nevada’s first-ever bear hunt, scheduled for Saturday, ending opponents' hopes for a last-minute intervention.
The issue has captured the attention of Northern Nevadans, with opponents to the bear hunt submitting 15,000 signatures to the governor’s office calling for it to be cancelled.
“He supports the (Nevada Wildlife) Commission on this regulation and expects that the information this hunt will yield can ultimately aid in the conservation of wildlife populations, including bears,” according to a statement from Sandoval’s spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner. She said the commission adopted the regulation based on “scientific standards.”
Earlier Monday, a handful of protesters gathered outside the Capitol Building. “We want a stay of execution,” said Kat Simmons, of Gardnerville. “We want him to intervene and stop the hunt.”
The state Wildlife Commission in February gave final approval for the hunt after its biologists said the state’s bear population could support a hunt.
Concerns have been raised by opponents about the proximity to hiking and bike paths to hunting areas; questioned the department’s science; and warned that the bear hunt could scare off tourists or those looking at second homes here. It has also brought out a fondness for the black bears.
The state issued 45 tags to hunters, with the season extending through December. The season will end if 20 bears are “harvested,” or if six female bears are killed. Chris Healy, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said at least 350 to 400 bears inhabit Nevada, mostly near Lake Tahoe. The population, he said, has been growing.
Other states, including California, have allowed bear hunting for years.
Healy acknowledged that the hunt has received a lot of attention. A bear hunt was last seriously considered in the 1990s, but the department was not confident in its science. “That and social concerns - what people think of a bear hunt” prevented the bear hunt, Healy said.
Since 1997, there have been 307 bear mortalities in Nevada, Healy said. About 150 of those were caused by car accidents; another 91 were killed because of public safety concerns.
Healy said that while the Nevada bear hunt starts Saturday, hunters in other states usually wait until the weather is cooler and the bears have a more robust coat.
Let's get on with it. The "protesters" have no science behind them except emotion.Time to thin the herd.
Healy is full of it!!! The other termite Lackey stated about 250-300 bears now it is up another 100.. The science in the 90's is different then the science of today due to the fact that the state needs money now!!!Thats the science!!! When do we start doing this in our prisons Sandoval???? They are getting overcrowded you coward!!!! He didn't even give a look to the petitions or anything!!!!
This is a disgusting display of Government corruption. Fish & Wildlife are murdering animals for a special interest group with the tax payers funds, and when the tax payers object with overwhelming majority, the Governor ignores public out cry, shame and disgust on Nevada. Fish and Wildlife have no "Real Science or Statistics, they are lairs as well as murderers!!
Apparently Sandoval doesn't listen to the people who voted for him. Apparently he thinks killing Tahoe's bears is fine. If sadistic and cruel treatment of bears gets his ok, what next? I regret voting for him, but he has revealed his character. He has aligned himself with a minority who kill for sport and disregard the feelings of both the public and intelligent creatures like bears. I am disgusted with Governor Sandoval.
Sainted Gov. Gibbons and his hand picked Wildlife Commission have listened to the word of God and ordained a bear hunt to rid our fair state of this deadly menace. Bears are like Viet Cong or Taliban where if we don't stop them in their tracks over there, they will be stalking the streets of Las Vegas taking over and terrorizing our citizens. Do you want a Viet Cong or Taliban or Bear taking your picnic basket or peanut butter sandwich? How dare the Bears terrorize the fair citizens of Incline Village (aka Income Village), home of the California Plutocracy? Oh sure, some Liberals will say the Bears were there first! But, after all, the Bears don't pay taxes do they? But then again, neither do the California Plutocrats of Income Village.
Yours in Christ,
Rob Whitetrash
Pahrump Deluxe Trailer Park - aka Income Village South
Eventually this planet will be stripped of everything and look like Mars.
"Since 1997, there have been 307 bear mortalities in Nevada."
This is hardly a good reason to go kill, not harvest, bears that are frankly doing nothing but protecting their home and often times cubs.
Hopefully the bears come out with one human "harvest"
I don't recall reading anything - ever - in either the Sun or the RJ about any kind of bear population problem in NV. Now, suddenly, we have to kill them in order to somehow conserve them? Say what? This c.s. "leader" - and that's an insult to c.s. leaders worldwide - cannot possibly think to question his mining industry masters to try to help out financially strapped NV, but he can muster it up to approve of blood sport? I guess we're all in good hands.
Better to hunt them then to have them end up on the hood of the family car.
Brian the Blaster Blows Away Bears
In his drive to rescue the Ursus Americanus, the smallest American bear, Mr. Sandoval has demonstrated the wisdom of the ages. His ambition to become the poster child for the gun-toting and warm barreled happy hunters of the high ground has placed him high on the pedestal in the bastion of the dastardly, the bastard of the year.
Ursus Americanus is an omnivore (eats berries, salmon and garbage when available). The little black bears have lost a bunch of their universe to the encroachment by humans onto their native lands. Isn't it wonderful that we have chosen a leader who has chosen not to listen to his people who have spoken out for the bear??
Rather than listening to the people or conscience or science, our leader has chosen to kill them for being bears.
What a wonderful man!
A noble leader!
A splendid example of the best we could be!
Fire away!
Far better we manage the bear population through hunting, than to allow their population to out grow the areas they naturally roam in.
I can't think of anything more dangerous for my children than a half starved Mama Bear showing up here in town with a couple of starving cubs in tow rummaging through my trash cans in search of a meal..................
It's a good thing that the bears have the claws and not the 'bleeding hearts' posting on this site because a bear as a wild animal can be predictable and manageable unlike the bear huggers who have crowded the bears to the point of no return.
Zoie: are fish people too?
Blessing of Animals
This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi's (1180-1226) love for all creatures.
"Blessed are you, Lord God, maker of all living creatures. You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land. You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters. We ask you to bless this pet. By the power of your love, enable it to live according to your plan. May we always praise you for all your beauty in creation. Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen."
Brian Sandoval, a devote Catholic, should spend time to re-unite with the true Saints and Foundations of the Church, rather then the CEOs that sponsor prayer events and pack Bibles into hotel rooms.
Republicans hate bears. I guess because they look Islamic or something.
Next is desert donkeys. Because they are synonymous with the Democratic Party's label.
Nothing is sacred to Republicans.
They like dogs though. Not sure about cats. Maybe felines are on their hit list next. They gotta build up the propaganda first and sell it though.
It is unbelievably bizarre how the goofy liberals tackle the subject of hunting.
They espouse science when it comes to the faux global warming/climate change crisis but have no clue how science relates to hunting.
This is extremely applicable into how the deranged mind of a liberal works.
Science works when it supports my sad opinion but doesn't exist when I oppose something.
A Prayer of Saint Francis for Animals
God Our Heavenly Father,
You created the world to serve humanity's needs and to lead them to You.
By our own fault we have lost the beautiful relationship which we once had with all your creation.
Help us to see that by restoring our relationship with You, we will also restore it with all Your creation.
Give us the grace to see all animals as gifts from You,
and to treat them with respect for they are Your creation.
We pray for all animals who are suffering as a result of our neglect.
May the order You originally established be once again restored to the whole world through the intercession of the Glorious Virgin Mary,
the prayers of Saint Francis and the merits of Your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You
now and forever.
Amen.
St. Francis of Assisi
Colon, we also don't like Gobs.
so what are we gonna do about all these humans?
Who cares?
Greasy Corporate Backed Big Brother Brian should have way bigger things on his agenda anyway, like perhaps fixing the state economy.
Funny how little we hear about that though now that he has had some time to settle into office after making all his cuts.
And how are those cuts working out for ya'll? Getting nevada back on track eh?
Didn't think so.
Hey Boo-boo! We gotta be smarter than the average bear to survive this one!
Signed,
Yogi!
Like Sandoval cares what the public thinks? Please.
Anybody who thinks this is about saving Bears is pathetically stupid. Development and grazing be my guess. Sandoval would not understand much beyond that anyway.
This is nothing but pure arrogance and cruelty. These are demonic people in power.
@Heretic...what science are you bantering about? Hunting plays no part in anything but killing animals. I suppose you are going to argue animals didn't exist before hunters came along to manage them? What drives you people? Your arguments are nothing more than self-serving myth.
There can never be enough animals. The more the merrier be my policy. What we need is less people.