Ojai Wildlife League

Sierra Club Fights Inhumane Bear Hunting

The Sierra Club has filed a letter opposing a California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) proposal to expand the use of dogs by bear hunters.  If approved, the DFG proposal will increase the hounding of bears by dog packs, as well as expand black bear hunting into San Luis Obispo County and other areas of the state.  It will remove the current 1,700 season limit of bears “harvested”, and allow an unlimited number of bears to be killed by California hunters during bear season, which usually runs concurrently with deer hunting season.

The Sierra Club has called upon the Commission to adopt regulations that require dogs be in the physical control of hunters at all times, as required by the Fish and Game Code.

We strongly oppose uncontrolled hounding of bears, a practice which results in gruesome injuries to bears and dogs.  DFG regulations make it a crime to hunt cubs and mother bears.  The uncontrolled packs of hounds do not read or follow those rules. When a mother bear stands and fights to protect her clubs, dogs may be seriously injured or killed.

The DFG proposal will allow the use of GPS devices and tip-switches.  The tip switches signal the hunters that a bear has been treed.  The hunters follow the GPS signals to the dogs and shoot the terrified bear out of the tree.

Hounding places dogs, bears, and other forest animals, such as endangered species like the Pacific Fisher, at risk. The use of dogs to hunt bears is the favored method of bear poachers, legitimizing hounding will lead to more poaching.

Allowing dogs and bears to fight is illegal under the state’s animal cruelty laws. Californians should not get an exemption to these laws by buying a hunting license.

Richard J. Garcia, Sierra Club - CNRCC – Black Bear Task Force – Chair

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