Nevada Bear Hunting Ban Hearing This Saturday

Posted on December 5, 2012

The Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners will hear a petition this Saturday, December 8^th, seeking to ban the hunting of bears with hounds in the state.  All sportsmen are encouraged to attend the meeting and to submit comments to the Commissioners supporting bear hunting with hounds.

Saturday’s Commissioners’ meeting will be held at 1100 Valley Road in Reno and is slated to being at 8 a.m.  The bear hunting ban is not the only item on the Commissioners’ agenda so the exact time for when it will be discussed is not known.

“We know the animal rights and anti-hunting extremists are planning to pack this hearing with their members in an effort to advance their agenda,” said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance associate director of State Services.  “Sportsmen and women must band together in support of bear hunting with hounds.  Nevada sportsmen are encouraged to attend the meeting to speak in support of this important hunting tradition.”

The hunting ban petition is being supported by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), No Bear Hunt Nevada, Nevada Political Action for Animals, The Bear League, Nevada Humane Society, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Nevada established their new bear hunting season in 2011 after studies showed that Nevada’s bear population was sustainable and growing.   Bear hunting with hounds is the most effective bear management tool available to manage the state’s bear population.  Eight-five percent of the bears taken during the 2011 season were with the aid of dogs.  Further, hunters using dogs are able to identify the sex of a bear allowing them to pass on shooting female bears.

“There is absolutely no reason to ban hunting with hounds,” said Rine. “It’s important to understand that the real target for these groups isn’t the use of dogs to hunt bears – it’s stopping ALL hunting.  This is just their first step.”

If the petition is accepted by the Commissioners on Saturday, they will then start a formal process to determine whether or not they should ban bear hunting with hounds.

This proposal comes on the heels of the HSUS and other anti-hunting organizations pushing through a ban on bear hunting with hounds in California despite overwhelming opposition to do so.

Take Action!  Nevada sportsmen should plan to attend Saturday’s hearing and speak out in support of bear hunting with hounds.  Nevada sportsmen should also submit comments supporting bear hunting with hounds by emailing them to sscourby@ndow.org.

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