A bear trophy hunt has resurfaced in the Legislature even though language to legalize bear hunting died in the Environment Committee earlier in the session. You can read the story below:

Bear hunt could soon be possible in Connecticut after key vote

We are deeply disturbed that the CT Senate has passed SB1523 with a sneaky, controversial amendment that paves the way for a black bear trophy hunt in our state. Friends of Animals is asking for your help. Call your state representatives in the House and tell them to oppose the bill getting called in the House, and if it does that they vote NO to the new amendment. You can find your state legislators here: https://cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp

CT must not enact a bear trophy hunt because:

•Researchers in other states like Wisconsin have found that hunts do not reduce so-called “nuisance” complaints. Bears killed deep in the woods are not the bears who people complain about in more developed areas, where hunting wouldn’t even be safe. And scientific studies show there is a weak correlation between the population of bears and bear-human interactions. Bear-human interaction is more closely correlated with human behavior.

• Of all the bear “conflict” reports in CT from 2023, 653 involved bird feeders, 1,117 involved trash cans, 210 involved livestock or beehives. Of the 39 home entries from April 8—June 30, 2024, most were avoidable if residents had followed just a few easy steps to secure their homes and property, according to a Freedom of Information request. THE DETAILS OF THESE REPORTS MATTER!

•Hunters going into the woods to kill bears for recreation will not solve the problem of bears habituated to humans. Non-lethal community-based solutions are effective in mitigating human-bear interactions. That’s why what IS needed is statewide legislation that includes a conflict reduction community grant program that provides money to communities for bear-resistant trash cans and electric fencing around chickens and beehives.

•DEEP has failed to use data from a 2014 bear population study to help local town managers anticipate areas of possible bear habitat, and thereby allow them to plan better for future development and alert residents accordingly. The agency has done nothing in terms of systemic nonlethal measures such as prohibiting bird feeders March-November. On average the CT towns that already have implemented wildlife feeding ordinances, such as Simsbury and Granby, have already seen reduced incidents between bears and bird feeders, according to DEEP’s own report.