Three hundred and twenty black bears...

[Taltarzac725]

... sitting in a pie.

What do you think about the legalized bear hunt this week here in Florida? Florida approves hunt for 320 black bears, first in more than 20 years | jacksonville.com (http://jacksonville.com/news/2015-09-02/story/florida-approves-hunt-320-black-bears-first-more-20-years)

[asianthree]

State says over populated. Dear are thinned out, when count is over limit, before they starve

[Uberschaf]

State says over populated. Dear are thinned out, when count is over limit, before they starve
I agree. Have seen this before in the Dak's.Same scenario too many people too many bears.Sad

[Patty55]

Do they eat them?

[Duckfinger2]

Yes I have had bear meat in stew, it was very good

[Edjkoz]

I have no problem with the hunt.

[Pointer]

I've also had bear meat in stew and it was very good. Although the fact that I didn't make the stew myself may have had something to do with that.

I have no problem with hunting where the meat is eaten and the numbers are maintained. In Vermont it's a staple in many peoples pantry.

[rubicon]

Bear meat like pork can contain trichinosis

[HimandMe]

I'm glad we live in a world where our grandchildren can still see animals in their own habitat.

If you look at the world population charts of humans and how we are doubling population in short order....you realize something no one is talking about at least not often or loudly enough.....and we worry there are too many bears. Hello?

[TheVillageChicken]

I have no problem with the hunt.

As long as they don't take any bears who have names.

[Taltarzac725]

Nutritional Value of Alaskan Big Game, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.eating)

I would be surprised if a lot of these 320 bears-- if they even kill that many-- become food.

[fl boomer]

My daughter has lived in Lake Mary, a suburb of Orlando for more than 10 years, and the bears are so bad in her neighborhood, that they've torn through her lanai screen, you can see them walking through the neighborhood at all hours, they have to be careful when the kids are playing outside, they get into garbage cans in the garage & they don't put their garbage out until the morning of pickup. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat, but when a woman is attacked by one while walking her dog, then it's time to lower the number of bears because there obviously isn't enough food for them in the wild, they're overpopulated or they wouldn't be roaming into suburban neighborhoods looking for food.

[Taltarzac725]

My daughter has lived in Lake Mary, a suburb of Orlando for more than 10 years, and the bears are so bad in her neighborhood, that they've torn through her lanai screen, you can see them walking through the neighborhood at all hours, they have to be careful when the kids are playing outside, they get into garbage cans in the garage & they don't put their garbage out until the morning of pickup. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat, but when a woman is attacked by one while walking her dog, then it's time to lower the number of bears because there obviously isn't enough food for them in the wild, they're overpopulated or they wouldn't be roaming into suburban neighborhoods looking for food.

I would just have liked them to tranquilize and then move them somewhere else in Florida. Much more expensive a proposition though. And a great deal more logistics than just sending out the bear posse as some woman called her view of the hunt she was going to go on today to get a bear head to add to her mantle piece. This was on CBS News last night. Bear hunt to begin in Florida, first in over two decades - CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-bear-hunt-to-begin-in-florida-first-in-over-two-decades/)

[Jim 9922]

They are nice to have around, but when they overpopulate an area they become pests and should be thinned. Not much different than excess gators, deer up North, prairie dogs, coyotes, etc..

[justjim]

I have never seen a Florida Black Bear in the wild but keep looking for one when we go to Sanford Orlando airport. However, if they were roaming around The Villages I would want to be rid of them. A Bear is very dangerous!

I have no problem with the hunt. I like animals but people are more important.

[Carl in Tampa]

I'm glad we live in a world where our grandchildren can still see animals in their own habitat.

If you look at the world population charts of humans and how we are doubling population in short order....you realize something no one is talking about at least not often or loudly enough.....and we worry there are too many bears. Hello?

Hysteric predictions about human overpopulation extend back to the 1798 publication of Essay on The Principle of Population by Thomas Malthus. In the 1960s Paul Ehrlich wrote a series of dire predictions about overpopulation. He predicted death by starvation of one-fifth of the world's population.

Ehrlich advocated forced birth control and spiking foreign aid food with antifertility drugs. He predicted food rationing in the United States and that the Pope would announce that all good Catholics have a responsibility to drastically restrict their reproductive activities. The Pope would give his blessing to abortion and all methods of contraception.

Well.........we aren't there yet, and that was almost a half-century ago.

============

On the subject of bears, there have been multiple bear attacks on humans in the suburbs of nearby Orlando. I'm sure that folks over there agree that a thinning of the bear population is in order.

To the northeast of The Villages is the Ocala National Forest. On some highways through the Forest you will see Beware of the Bears signs posted on the roads, and in some small communities in that area Bear Proof Garbage Cans are required by law.

Also, yes, I've eaten bear meat in the form of bear jerky; similar to beef jerky or deer jerky. OK, but not something that I prefer.

I support the bear hunt that the state has authorized.

[DonH57]

As long as they don't take any bears who have names.

Especially Yogi and Boo Boo to name a couple.:D

[dbussone]

Especially Yogi and Boo Boo to name a couple.:D

But they never leave Jellystone!

[DonH57]

But they never leave Jellystone!

That's what we are led to believe but it's hard to tell what the park ranger was partly responsible for. I always thought he was trouble!:shocked:

[graciegirl]

That's what we are led to believe but it's hard to tell what the park ranger was partly responsible for. I always thought he was trouble!:shocked:



Me too. And you know he covered that all up and sold them the equipment that was donated and cut down trees too. Right after he punched that line dancer, and he should NEVER have been lured to the bandstand. Did you hear that he couldn't get insurance? Serves him right.

[tomwed]

As long as they don't take any bears who have names.
like Cecil?

[dbussone]

Me too. And you know he covered that all up and sold them the equipment that was donated and cut down trees too. Right after he punched that line dancer, and he should NEVER have been lured to the bandstand. Did you hear that he couldn't get insurance? Serves him right.


Dog gone! I've wondered who clobbered the line dancer. Didn't know he couldn't get insurance but have heard rumors that he personally caused sink holes.

[Taltarzac725]

Bear hunt stopped in Panhandle, Central Fla; ongoing in other areas (http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/10/24/florida_black_bear_h.html)

They got enough bears in Central Florida to stop the hunt in this area as well as the Panhandle. Must be a lot more competent bear hunters than I thought there would be.

[graciegirl]

,,,

[velcro]

I got my Bear Licence and set out yesterday to hunt one. I was driving on a back road to where I was going to hunt and came to a place where the road split and there was a sign on the side of the road that said " BEAR LEFT" so I went home.

[Carl in Tampa]

I have two thoughts about the Florida bear hunt this year.

1. The fact the limit on taking bears from two of the four Bear Management Units where the season was open was reached within one day demonstrates how overly populated the areas were with bears. (There are seven BMUs, but hunting was not open in three of them.)

2. Some people do not seem to understand how dangerous to humans it can be to have bears living in close proximity.

While in Alaska I learned that the mighty Grizzly Bear attacks humans when the bear feels threatened. It is not looking to eat you. In contrast, the Black Bear (regardless of fur color) is know to track and attack humans as prey. They intend to eat you! Our bears in Florida are Black Bears.

Contrary to general belief, it is not the female Black Bear protecting her cubs that is most dangerous to humans, but rather the lone, predatory, male Black Bear who stalks humans as prey to eat.

Most fatal attacks by North American black bears during the past century were conducted by lone, male animals that stalked and then killed their human victims as prey, according to a new study by the world's top authority on what triggers bear attacks. See The Journal of Wildlife Management. Fatal attacks by American black bear on people: 1900–2009 - Herrero - 2011 - The Journal of Wildlife Management - Wiley Online Library (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.72/abstract)