SB 252 CA bear hunting ban bill

[Ptaylor]

#151721

Hey there TBM community,

We are having our hunting rights here in CA put on the chopping block this year. Senator Wiener has introduced SB 252, which will prohibit the hunting of bears for good. This is not up for a vote. The Senate, House, and Governor will decide this for us. We need to speak up in order to preserve bear hunting here. And don’t be fooled, even if you don’t bear hunt this will affect you. Right now the best thing to do is watch the Natural Resource Committee website until a hearing date has been set for this bill here: https://sntr.senate.ca.gov/

That is also the website where you can submit a public comment, as well as stay up to date on the hearing schedule for public testimony. Also please contact your district representative. I have sent a letter to my rep, as well as each Senator on the NRC, to the whole NRC, and to Scott Wiener who introduced the bill. Please help us, we need it. Here is the letter I sent to the NRC:

[Ptaylor]

#151722

SB 252 Bear Hunting Ban Bill

January 29, 2021

 

To: Natural Resources and Water Committee

 

My name is Preston Taylor. I am a biologist, and I have a B.S. in Wildlife Management and Conservation from Humboldt State University. I have resided in California for 14 years and have been a hunter for 12 of those years.

Hunting (and associated activities like fishing, foraging edible plants and mushrooms, and gardening) is a vital aspect of my life. Literally, we feed ourselves with the animals and fish my wife and I hunt and catch. Our diet is augmented with a bountiful garden, and throughout the summer months we rarely buy vegetables or meat/fish. About the only time we purchase meat from the industrial agriculture production are the occasional meals we eat at a restaurant. As you can tell, the ability for us to interact with nature and participate in it (as humans have done for hundreds of millenia, if not thousands) is extremely important to maintain the lifestyle we have. A life that is lived close to the earth, with an understanding of the sacrifices made by other living organisms necessary for us to survive.

Most folks go about their lives unaware of the sacrifices non-human animals and plants make for us. Too few people see the slaughterhouses and farms to know what is required for them to eat every meal or wear cotton clothes. Too few people pay attention to the masses of wildlife run over on our highways as their online-ordered goods are delivered across our country and the world. Not me. I am fully aware of the deaths required to keep me alive. I have the animals’ blood on my hands that feeds me.

Bears play a role in this lifestyle for me. I hunt and eat them. Their meat is excellent (I could feed it to you, and you would be hard pressed to tell that it is not beef). We render down their fat into cooking lard, which we use in place of oil or butter. I tan their hides and use them for blankets. I track them outside of the hunting season to learn about their behavior and interact with these awesome creatures. Bears, and bear hunting, are extremely important in my life. A life where I can interact with the natural world the same way our ancestors interacted and relied upon wild animals for all of time.

We are not “trophy” hunters as Senator Wiener has declared bear hunters. I cut down trees, carve bows from them, mount hand-sharpened broadheads onto wooden arrow shafts, and strive to stalk inside ten yards from a bear before shooting it. I have witnessed multiple bears die in less than four seconds with a well-placed arrow. That is as quick of a death as anyone could ask for themselves. Our “trophy” is the meat, the memories, the hunt.

Aside from the fact that my flesh is made literally from bear meat and fat, I encourage you to consider the low impact of legitimate, legal, ethical bear hunting. The bear population in California is estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 animals, and it continues to grow; clearly, regulated hunting of black bears is not affecting population growth. Black bears are thriving in California, which is evident by their presence in Counties and towns previously absent of bears (look at the expanding range and population of bears south through Sonoma County and north from the Transverse Range into the Central Coast).

As a lover of wildlife and wild places, I strongly urge you to oppose SB 252. As a resident and voter in California, I strongly urge you to oppose SB 252. I would be happy to discuss this matter in more depth with you. Please email or call me: (removed for forum)

Thank you for your time,

Preston Taylor

[Robin Conrads]

#151723

Wow! That would be a terrible thing to happen. Your letter is excellent. Can those of us outside California help, or is this mainly for our California members?

Thanks, Robin

[Ptaylor]

#151726

Robin,

I think that anyone who would like to submit a letter of opposition through the website I linked to would be welcome. As well, when the hearing date is set I will post it here, and everyone can sign in for a public comment. From what I’ve heard recently in Washington Fish and Game meetings, there are outside organizations attending the meetings and weighing in for comment (due to the virtual format of the meetings). So I and the rest of Cali hunters would appreciate all the help we can get. We’re up against the Humane Society (they are the one’s who have been lobbying in support of this bill being proposed), and we all know they operate in every State.

That being said, it is vital for Cali residents to call your State Senate representative. Here is how you can do that: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

Preston

[Stephen Graf]

#151735

I don’t know how much weight out-of-state voices carry, but when the comment period opens for this bill, I’d be happy to add my 2 cents.  Let us know when the time comes by bumping this thread.

That said, we have the opposite problem.  The insurance companies have the legislatures ear and work hard to kill all deer, bear, and elk before they can impact record profits (whoops, I meant an insurance claim for a car accident).  As a result, you can shoot an elk if it walks into your yard and eats a dandelion.  Incidentally, this is not my example of “just cause” for depredation.  It was the example given by the WRC as the game laws were amended to allow for unlimited and pre-authorized depredation permits.

It seems hard to find middle ground these days…

[Raymond Coffman]

#151744

Ptaylor

Outstanding and beautifully written letter . I’ll send my comments in.. I write to any of the states when these issues come up , as I have, and may hunt in them again as a non resident….

Steve

Yes , on hard to find middle ground anymore. Common sense isn’t common either…

Scout aka Ray

[Stix]

#151758

FYI, this bill has been pulled by the sponsor. So a victory of sorts. It may be re-introduced at a later date, but doubtful this year.

 

This is not a license to rest easy, in fact hunters should be evermore vigilant. No one knows what’s up the anti’s sleeve.

[richard roop]

#151759

Believe with all of your hearts that every time the forces of evil have a set-back & fail …………….. they learn from it and come back again and again and again.

[Ptaylor]

#151770

Thanks for your support fellas.

The word on the street is it has indeed been pulled. I’m still waiting to see it posted on the State’s Legislative website as officially withdrawn, which it has not been posted as yet.

[Raymond Coffman]

#151787

Ptaylor

You bet anytime. Keep us in the know. If they are like the NM legislators they will try to slip it by on the side at the last minute….sad to say…

Scout aka Ray

[Author]

Posts