etter1 wrote: I don’t know how many we kill every year but it’s definitely over 2000 by now.

Hey Etter, How many bears do you think Georgia has? In CA, the statewide quota is 1700 bears a year, and I would think we have a lot more bears than Georgia. You mentioned the state is trying to reduce the bear population, why?

In regards to the original post. In CA, we have to present the skull, so a biologist can pull a tooth for aging, and we get the tag countersigned, which is attached to the ear of the skin. But it doesn’t matter how it comes in, which is good. I’ve had the opportunity to shoot, but didn’t, bears 4-5 miles from my truck in rugged country. No way I would get those animals out in one piece.

I don’t have a meat cooler, don’t go to a butchers, and its usually too warm to hang meat outside for very long. So once I get an animal home I butcher and package it as quickly as I can. That being said, I’ve shot a couple deer in the middle of a hot day (80’s+) and boned out the meat into game bags, gotten home at dusk. Those deer were in the game bags all afternoon, and the meat was great.