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SnooBunnies7461 t1_isr0vfy wrote

This is what happens when there is no control over the population of bears in the state. I understand that people are building and squeezing the bears out of their area but the bear population is also pretty high. The state could have a lottery system for a bear season and make a little money too.

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ZebraRaptor t1_isr9zz1 wrote

I was talking with a guy from DEEP and he was telling me while we are building in areas where bears live, the biggest reason we see such a massive increase in bear population compared to ~50 years ago is because the state has moved away from farming and when the farm fields became overgrown and forested, it provided a healthy and abundant habitat for bears. Now their population is sky high and they’re moving into more and more populated areas.

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magicdrums t1_isrbz8s wrote

The population is on the rise because CT doesn’t have a hunting season like NY & MA do.. so where do you think the bears are going to hibernate when their older brothers and sisters are hunted in the neighboring in states?

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ZebraRaptor t1_issrwuy wrote

This too! Abundant food, no predators, that makes Yogi a happy bear.

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stlouisbrowns t1_isrfi2z wrote

A DEEP guy told me the reason we're seeing more and more bears in CT is because NY and MA have bear hunting season and hunting pressure drives them into Connecticut. Open and shut.

He added that DEEP has agitated for a bear hunting season with the legislature for years now. This past session they lost by only a couple votes.

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ZebraRaptor t1_isssbfb wrote

I agree completely! Hopefully the next time it’s up for vote it’ll pass. Don’t get me wrong, they’re awesome creatures. But they can be dangerous and certainly be a nuisance.

It sucks to hit a deer in a car, but hitting a bear is even worse! It’s getting too common. (And don’t get me started about MV vs Moose!).

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stlouisbrowns t1_issyq8j wrote

Thanks Zebra. Nice to hear the occasional voice of sanity here on Reddit, where kiddies and trolls prevail. cheers -

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lives4summits t1_isrchtk wrote

It’s not that high. It’s under 1000 bears. The animal rights lobby will never let a bear hunt happen.

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Kolzig33189 t1_ist1cbz wrote

You’re number is far off. The population has increased from about 600 bears 6 years ago to ballpark north of 1200 bears in state now.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/connecticut/hartford/bear-population-exploding-in-connecticut/amp/

https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Black-Bear

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lives4summits t1_isv987x wrote

Wrong. You don’t take into account the same bears ID’d multiple times. We have a very low bear population.

Also, nuisance bears are attracted to bird feeders. A hunt isn’t the answer. We need a statewide law banning the feeding of wildlife and that includes bird feeders. Granby and Simsbury have similar ordinances already and they have been very successful.

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Kolzig33189 t1_isvd5xe wrote

I’m not taking anything into account for population. More than 1200 is what DEEP is reporting. So if you have a source that says it’s a lot less, please share.

https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Black-Bear. That’s directly from the DEEP website…so what are you using that shows the number is essentially half that?

Edit: classic CT sub stuff; I asked if you have a source for your numbers and you immediately downvote and don’t respond.

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Frequent_Ad_7824 t1_isr84f2 wrote

They make way to much money already but yes the numbers need to be thinned

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SmallFeetBigPenis t1_isrky82 wrote

That money goes towards conservation, which I’m sure could use the boost.

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