Bear, lions hunting in the crosshairs in Washington

Dec. 8—The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission may once again find itself embroiled in a difficult and heated debate over rules for hunting black bears and mountain lions.

But the nine-member board that oversees the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also has the ability to sidestep another emotional fight on the degree to which predators should be hunted. Debates over bear and lion hunting have taken up much of the commission's time over the past three years and led to deep divisions both on the commission and among its constituents.

When commissioners meet next Friday it will consider two petitions. Brad Thomsen, of Edmonds, is asking the board to begin a rulemaking process that would restore the state's spring black bear hunting seasons. That season was torpedoed on a 5-to-4 vote in March 2020 following about two years of fiery debate.

The five commissioners, who voted against keeping a proposed permit-only season, questioned black bear population data compiled by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the reasons for the hunt and whether it is ethical. Those in favor of the hunt said the modest harvest of the spring season is sustainable, provides wildlife managers a needed tool for reducing predation on newborn elk calves, is popular with hunters and said there is no biological reason to end it.

The department has recommended the petition to reopen rulemaking on spring bear hunting be denied. Anis Aoude, game division manager for the agency, said in a summary of the petition that it is contrary to the commission's 2022 decision to end spring black bear hunting.

"Unless and until this decision changes through new commission direction, Department staff deem it inappropriate to consider a season that would go against the Commission's policy direction," he wrote.

Thomsen has submitted several petitions related to hunting black bears during the spring and each has been rejected by the commission.

A coalition of environmental and animal rights groups submitted a 50-page petition asking the commission to reverse changes implemented in 2019 and 2020 that expanded mountain lion hunting and fall black bear hunting. The groups, which include Washington Wildlife First, the Humane Society of the United States and the Center for Biological Diversity, contend the commission's previous decision was arbitrary and capricious, disregarded science and may be harming black bear and cougar populations. They are asking the commission to take action before next fall's hunting season.

The department recommended the commission reject the petition. Aoude wrote that the rules proposed in the petition go beyond reversing changes adopted in 2019 and 2020. In addition, he said the rulemaking process would disrupt an agency review and modification of the way cougar and bear hunting seasons are structured and prevent that work from being considered. In addition, Aoude said if the petition is accepted it will require department employees to devote time to the process and prevent them from (their working to update the agency's game management plan.

Aoude rejected the petitioner's claim that current rules may irreparably harm bear and lion populations.

"The department analyzes game species population status and trends on an annual basis and this information does not indicate that waiting for one or two years for a new framework to revise these rules would harm the valuable bear and cougar resource in Washington nor will it diminish their role in the ecosystem," he wrote in a briefing paper on the petition.

The makeup of the commission has changed since recreational spring black bear hunting seasons were scuttled and the changes made to expand some bear and lion seasons

in 2019 and 2020. In October, the commission rejected a petition from some of the same groups asking it to make it more difficult for the department to kill wolves for chronic attacks on livestock.

The commission's full agenda for its gathering, which begins with committee meetings Thursday and culminates next Friday and Dec. 16 with meetings of the full commission, can be viewed at bit.ly/3NdB06I.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.