Spring bear season change
 

Hello all,
I'm already thinking about the next baiting season and have been wondering what others think of the season dates.

Over the last several springs we've found that being able to bait as early as the middle of March is useless as there is still 3 feet of snow in the bush. We've also found that most of the mature boars don't seem to show up until the last few days of the season and the week after it closes. I am refering to the zones that close on May 31.

My partners and I would like to see these zones coincide with the northern zones which stay open till June 15.

I was going to write an email to the appropriate people but was just curious as to what others thought.

I would love to see the season open till june 15 big boars start to move just as the season closes were i hunt there was still snow in the low creeks till 3rd week in may its time for a change

This is what I've experienced since I've started.

For those that have voted to leave everything as is, what is your main reason?

Thanks to everyone that has voted so far! I'm surprised by the percentages.

There is a lot to be said for leaving some good breeding stock.Perhaps this was the reason for the may 31 closing date.Not sure though.

I've thought about that angle but by the same token then, deer season should close on the 15th of November instead of the 30th.

I thought it might be due to hide conditions but the bigger bears we've gotten pictures of after the season don't appear to be rubbed at all.

I always thought the reason was due to the general public useing these areas in June?
Same thought process as not being able to hunt on portions of the Bow river till later. (Birds)

Jamie

Pelts can get iffy by the end of the season, as is. Let's leave it.

Grizz

I didn't really think about that side of it. That's a good point.

On the flip-side of that though, I remember reading a stat a few years ago that said the May long weekend is the busiest 3 days in Alberta for recreational use of crown land.
Bear season continues past that.

I'll be putting in a call to F&W tomorrow to see if anyone there can clarify things.

Just thought I'd give this a bump since this year appears to be probably the latest start for bears in over a decade.

I did speak with a biologist out of Bonnyville and she told me the season was the way it was to catch the 2 weeks that the rut usually occurs, but end before pelts are sub-prime.
I informed her of our experience and she said that if enough people voiced the same concerns that she would start a study to see if the concerns were valid.
That's where that ended. Going to give her a call again soon. Hopefully she's still there.

agree .. and also see a few threads and posts on the lack of bear this year .. extending the season doesn't help ...

I agree

Hides, the main reason most of us hunt bears, can get pretty sketchy late in the season.

Grizz

I see a 10 year study in the works with no changes as a result.

you lost me there with your deer closing on the 15th comment.

Extend the season, more bears gone the better IMO. Not a bear fan. Ever. They terrorize my yard well into June.

The may 15th closing date for 404/406/408 is lame. Get that to match the rest of the province first.

If it were up to me bear would be open year round. Sure would save a lot of calf moose.

The comment above about not being intrusive into the rut is probably the most reasonable explanation. The reason being that at the helm of setting hunting dates and perimeters are the biologists and wildlife management.

Keeping the gene pool strong and sturdy is most likely the reason for these existing dates.

I don't see the point of closing earlier, in other zones. They are not very prone to over hunting. Although in some ranching areas they are shot on sight, no matter the date. So the net effect is zero regardless.

As for the hides being rubbed, it is up to the hunter ultimately if he or she wants the bear. Some people could care less, and give the hide away anyway.

Really?
I already stated the reason one biologist gave me. Had nothing to do with the rut. But I'll explain my comment...
Someone made the comment that maybe it closes end of May to protect the breeding stock... my point was that If biologists didn't want hunters harassing game during the rut when they are most vulnerable, then why are deer, elk, and moose hunters allowed to hunt during the rut? ie, why wouldn't they close deer in the middle of November before the rut starts?
Hopefully that clears that up.

While I would love to agree with you, my personal experience tells me this statement is only partially true.

What I've seen is that if a bear is going to rub bad, he's already done so before the end of May. If they're not rubbed bad by then they're not going to.

I have thousands of pictures of young bears completely bald down the sides at the beginning of May, but not one of a big, mature boar with a single bald spot in any month of the year.
Depends what you're after I guess.
If someone doesn't want a bald bear don't shoot one. Simple as that. They're not all rubbed.
No different then being selective with any other animal.

CB

This may answer some more of your questions.

Alberta Black Bear Management Plan - 2016

https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3274...ar-Jan2016.pdf

From reading this, I don't see why changing the hunting season dates wouldn't be acceptable due to a biological issue. The report doesn't mention anything of such a concern. B Bears are typically under harvested. Resident harvest could double before meeting allocation thresholds based on current population estimates.

Hunting season dates are what they are just because, except for the Kananaskis early closure due to "conflict" prevention. There is no biological concern for extending the hunting season to year round as long as the harvest remains within management goals.

Reducing hunter harvest if required would be achieved by reducing the use of the supplemental tags and shortening seasons.

Thanks WB,

That basically sums up what the biologist said.
What she wanted to know is if missing part of the rut was a common theme across the May 31st zones or just where I was hunting.

Never seen a good hide on a bear past may.

I've seen several. Here's one...

Check out the rump on this guy. May 1st

I have heard the same as well.

As more hunters use the meat, the less important the hides become.

I would rather hunt bears in the summer when they are prime for eating.

The government advocates consuming bears as part of maintaining the legitimacy of the hunt in reference to those opposed to hunting. The gov. should let hunters harvest our food when it at it's best.

I feel the same way about ungulates. They are better eating in the summer than late fall or winter. With simple management protocols, there is no biological reason to not allow hunting of this food source when the meat is the best for consumption.

Female ungulates cant be hunted in the summer or all the calves/fawns would be dead. I think there would be a lot of spoiled meat if hunting was allowed in the summer.

That's why bucks grow antlers.

I have eletricity....