On 5-4 vote, Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejects season that would have issued 644 permits

LEWISTON – On 5-4 vote, Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejects season that would have issued 644 permits

A sharply divided Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission killed the state’s spring black bear hunting season Saturday and some members signaled they may be unlikely to approve any measures designed to reduce predation on the Blue Mountain elk herds.

The five commissioners who voted against the 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 claimed there is no biological reason to end it.

“I am very satisfied with all the information we have had that we have a healthy black bear population,” commissioner Kim Thorburn of Spokane said.

Thorburn voted with commissioners Jim Anderson, Don McIsaac and Molly Linville for the 644-permit season that was expected to result in the harvest of fewer than 150 black bears. But they were outnumbered by commissioners Lorna Smith, Barbara Baker, Tim Ragen, Melanie Rowland and John Lehmkuhl.

Baker, who was elected chairwoman at the same meeting, said the department and the commission have not said if the basis for the hunt is to provide recreation or to prevent timber damage. Bears sometimes damage young trees in the spring as they forage for food. Ragen said agency wildlife managers need to collect more data on the state’s black bear population. In doing so, he made a distinction between hunters and conservationists.

“Improving the way we are going about this will be better for the conservationists who want to see healthy ecosystems and will be better for the hunters in the long run.”

Rowland said hunting seasons of all sorts need to be reconsidered in the face of climate change. She questioned the need for any spring hunting seasons and said she was unaware until Friday that Washington holds a spring hunt for wild turkeys. Rowland, from Twisp, said judging from public comments the commission received, most Washingtonians oppose the hunt.

“They believe allowing spring bear hunting is simply not a responsible or respectful way to manage our wildlife, and I agree.”

A faction of the commission that includes Gov. Jay Inslee’s four most recent selections to the nine-member board that sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife continued to display an inclination to challenge the department’s wildlife data and resulting management conclusions.

The commission was briefed on an assessment of the Blue Mountain elk herd that is about 35% below the state’s objective of 5,500 animals and was told too few elk calves are surviving for the herd to remain stable. Kyle Garrison, the department’s top elk manager, said the agency may recommend the commission consider increasing harvest of mountain lions in the Blues. Only nine calves out of 125 tracked in a study last year are still alive. Predation accounted for more than 70% of the deaths and about 70% of the predation was caused by mountain lions.

Ragen and Lehmkuhl suggested the agency may have set an unrealistic population objective and Smith said she is skeptical that reducing cougar populations will improve elk survival.