- Spring bear hunts inevitably orphan bear cubs and leave them to die. The hunts occur when the sows are still nursing cubs. Washington law does not ban hunters from shooting sows with cubs, but rather “urge[s]” them not to. However, cubs might be hidden, or tend to lag behind their mothers, and hunters are unable to distinguish between female and male bears. Experts agree there is no way to prevent cubs from being orphaned during spring bear hunting.
- Spring bear hunts are unnecessary. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife claims spring bear hunts are needed to address “management needs” such as reducing tree damage and human-bear conflicts, but when challenged, has been unable to provide data to back up these assertions. Instead, WDFW has conceded that the spring hunt is really for recreation. Science shows bear hunting does not reduce tree damage or conflict, which WDFW acknowledges is largely attributable to human behavior and environmental conditions.
- Spring bear hunting violates basic principles of ethical hunting and “fair chase.” It threatens bear when they are at their most vulnerable state, weak from hunger and sluggish from hibernation. Food may be scarce and often requires bears to forage in clearings with no cover. Even when hunters do not kill bears, the stress of the hunt can cause additional mortalities by stressing this vulnerable population.
- Only 15% of people in Western states favor spring bear hunting. Meanwhile, 64% disapprove, and47% strongly disapprove. In fact, spring bear hunting receives much stronger disapproval than other controversial hunting methods, including hunting animals who are fenced in or hunting with bait or dogs.
- Washington is one of only eight states that still allows spring bear hunting. Because of the stress that spring hunting puts on wildlife populations, Washington does not allow spring hunting of any other species except turkey.
- Even without spring bear hunting, hunters can kill bears more than three months of the year. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission recently lengthened the regular bear hunting season, so it now begins on August 1 and runs through November 15 of each year, across the state. A spring bear hunting season means that bears will be hunted every month of the year they are not in hibernation, except July.
- Bears are being overhunted in Washington. While some states are moving to ban bear hunting entirely, since it is a trophy hunt that is not necessary to control the population, Washington is moving the other direction. In 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Commission raised the “bag” limit across the state to two bears per hunter for the full spring/summer/fall season. At the same time, the Commission lengthened the “fall” hunting season, so it now begins August 1. These increases were approved without using the latest science by WDFW biologists, which shows that bear densities and mortality rates vary widely across the state—and that bear populations may be up to 50% lower than previously thought in many areas. These changes have resulted in a 50% increase in bears legally killed by hunters each year.
- Wildlife is a public asset, which the state holds in trust to manage on behalf of all current and future Washingtonians. Spring bear hunting does not reflect the values and ethics of most of the 7.7 million residents of this state. Fewer than 5% of our residents purchase any kind of hunting license, yet many people who serve on the Fish and Wildlife Commission believe that they only need to represent the interests of hunters when setting wildlife policy.
- Spring bear hunting involves illegal baiting. Hundreds of feeding stations are set up every spring on commercial tree farms to prevent bears from trying to eat sap from trees after they emerge from hibernation and have few other food sources. WDFW has no idea where these feeding stations are, but it still allows spring bear hunting in and around these area. This means bears are being lured into these areas by the feeding stations, before being shot by hunters.This is baiting, and it is illegal under Washington law. WDFW acknowledges this but refuses to take action to prevent it.