 Each year an average of 8,500 resident and 1,600 non-resident hunters hunt black bears for a total of 80,000 hunter days in British Columbia. Between 3,500 and 4,000 black bears are harvested each year, including an average of 73 bears per year by trappers. The number of black bears harvested each year is an average of 3.5% of the population. Bears are intelligent animals and quickly learn that they can get away with bad behaviour in areas where they are protected from hunting. Hunting seasons allow the public to legally kill problem bears. This has the added advantage of allowing Conservation Officers to attend to other important activities including habitat protection and fish and wildlife law enforcement. |
