ShowboatHK

I am wondering if some of you bear hunters could help me with something. I am a deer hunter and I have zero problem with hunting most any animal, but when it comes to Bear I get a little emotional at the idea of killing a bear. Seems too innocent or human or something, I don't really know. Two of my hunting friends agree with this.

I am sure some of you will call me a panzie, but I know I am not alone on this one. In fact I remember an episode of a Michigan hunting program where the host Fred Trost (Famous among Michigan hunters) shot a bear and you could see that after, he got quite emotional, and even said its not the kind of hunting for the faint of heart.

Bear hunting sounds bad a@@ to me but I am not sure I could do it. Is there something wrong with me? Why do I feel this way? Is this doctor Phil's website?

Make fun of me if you must.

wyomingtrapper

Don't know that there is anything wrong with you. Just don't hunt bears. Some people don't like to kill things they don't eat, others trap or shoot varmits all day long. To each their own. BTW, I am a professional counselor by trade and you don't need therapy for having a soft heart for bears. lol Now if you can't bring yourself to kill the bear that is mauling your best friend, you have a serious problem.

npaden

Bear meat is tasty!

Isn't that all the reason you need?

MTMountainMan

I think many of us feel this way about bears. They are curious, generally not aggressive, even comical sometimes. We all had teddy bears from a young age, shaping our feelings before we were ever able to consciously do so. Bears are acceptable socially, at least here in the West. People hunting over bait have probably made me (and maybe the public) the most sympathetic toward bears. Leaving trash in the woods and then hunting over it doesn't seem fair or sporting. We don't allow baiting for bear here in MT and it's really difficult to punch your bear tag here. Basically, you buy an over the counter tag and keep it with you while you hunt for something else.

That being said, MT Fish Wildlife & Parks found that black bears eat about 15% of elk calves dropped in an area near here in western MT. People love bears (black ones anyway) so hunters aren't calling for their eradication. Their cuddliness is the only thing that saves them from that I think. Wolves don't seem to be so lucky and instead are totally demonized for: 1) never having attacked a human in MT, ever! 2) eating a few hundred livestock each yearout of the millions that live here and 3) eating all the damn game, even though deer and elk numbers have never been higher (too high says MT FW&P).

Emotion and hunting go together like PB&J. It's amazing to see a big game animal and such a flood of emotion to kill one, pack it out, and relive the experience over and over in your mind. But, maybe some emotion involved in hunting is detrimental to what we love. Bears (and wolves) are predators that belong in our ecosystems and need to be managed just like their prey. We should not make these animals cuddly bears or bloodthirsty demons because neither of these representations are accurate.

npaden is right, bear meat is tasty!

TEmbry

To me, a predator seems less innocent than a deer, or other herbivore.

I've heard bear meat is awesome as well.

People hunt for different reasons, if yours involve not killing a bear..so be it. Dont let it tear you up, just go hunt more deer or something.


As for me, Ill be bear hunting within the next few years....

DM

If you shoot one, hang it up and skin it out, and you willfeel even worse, as they look just like a human body hanging there.

Anyway, i'm with the crowd that says, "why shoot one at all", if you don't want to..

DM

game4lunch

Me, I'm going to get one. And that's probably all. I want a nice rug, I want to try the meat (many different opinions on that!), and they are over populating my favorite elk/deer area(s).
Once I get one, probably loose all desire to get another. Unless the meat really is "to die for".
They are a member of the pig family, so look at it like you're bringing Porky home!

drs1961

Glad to see so far that nobody's taking jabs at you, Showboat. I've been hunting big game for over thirty years and as of yet I still have no desire to shoot a bear, or a mountain lion or wolf for that matter. I just prefer critters with hooves.Most of my buddies head up north to hunt bears and every year they try to get me to go with them. I politely turn them down. I like to hunt out west and that takes all that I can afford. Now ifany placeneeded to get rid of some them paw critters for safety or depredation reasons, I would have no problem helping them out as long as they've got the tab. You're fine. To each his on.

MTMountainMan

I was interested in bears being in the pig family, I thought canine. Turns out they are most related to the pinniped family, which includes seals and sea lions. Weird!

Here's the link if anyone's interested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursidae

907Alaska

To each his or her own...never really thought about it, but like some have said just don't hunt bears, there are plenty of other big game to go after.