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<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Three grizzly bears cross a meadow in Montana in this undated file photo. Grizzly bears, the West's largest and most fearsome predators, are bouncing back in a big way in the Northern Rockies.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Wednesday, December 5, 2007 Time for a grizzly bear hunt in the Rockies? Wildlife officials say the population is growing but disagree over lifting protections. Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. -- Nearly extinct last century, grizzly bears are back in a big way in the northern Rockies: rising in numbers, pushing into new territories and mauling hunters who stumble across them in the wild. While state and federal officials laud the bear's comeback, others say it's time to lift the remaining protections that helped them recover. They point to recent grizzly encounters as evidence. "We've got grizzly bears eating people who come here to hunt," said Vic Workman, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioner, who fended off a grizzly during a Nov. 25 hunting trip near Whitefish. "It's getting out of whack. We've got too many bears." The grizzly charged after Workman stumbled upon it as it guarded a fresh deer carcass. Workman fired a shot from his rifle and was not injured. The bear ran off. If hunters could kill some bears, Workman said, the rest of the population would learn to avoid humans. While there is no comprehensive data on grizzly-human conflicts, an Associated Press tally shows at least a dozen grizzly bear attacks reported since April. Seven people were injured, some severely. At least five grizzlies were killed, either during the attacks or later by wildlife agents. The biologist in charge of restoring grizzlies acknowledges they appear to be on track toward recovery in some areas. In central and western Montana, for example, they've expanded their range by more than 2,300 square miles in the last two decades. But Christopher Servheen, grizzly recovery coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said it would take at least five more years of research to show the bear's progress is not fleeting. Recovery is not just measured by the number of bears, he added. Also important is how widely they are distributed, whether females breed at an adequate rate, and how many are killed crossing highways or in other human-related accidents. Servheen said it would be a mistake to link the run-ins to a decision on whether protections should be lifted. "That wouldn't have changed what happened to Mr. Workman in any way shape or form," he said. "If you walk close to a bear that's over a carcass, it doesn't care if it's a delisted bear or not. It's going to charge." One bear population is already moving toward possible hunting. An estimated 600 grizzlies in and around Yellowstone this spring became the first of their species in the lower 48 states to lose their threatened species status. Even there, a hunt is at least a year away and would likely be capped at just a few animals, said Chris Smith, chief of staff for the state wildlife department.

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