Deadman LakeAs the fog dissipated this morning, frost clung to vegetation for a few more minutes. The lakes were mirror calm.
The Florida Hunt that ended with around 300 bears taken generated some calls as it has from the media along the way. An email I sent out covered a lot of the questions:
Trying to control negative bear-human interactions with a hunt is like trying to control crime by shooting into a crowd.
Non-lethal methods cost money, a hunt makes money.
Whether a person considers interactions positive or negative depends upon the person’s attitude. Attitude depends upon what people have been taught. I happen to know that Florida’s Bear Manager David Telesco is quick to claim public safety issues.
Frost on sedgesMany bear managers deal with bear issues by killing the bears to avoid any possibility of liability issues.
From my studies, human-bear interactions that people consider negative are greatly reduced as attitudes change with true education—not fear-mongering and repeating old misconceptions as “education.”
I know of no data that shows negative conditioning of bears (making them fear people) reduces attacks.
In years of moderately scarce natural foods, reducing attractants (bird feeders, garbage, etc.) works because there is some food in the woods for them to go back to.
In years of very scarce natural food, (as I believe was the case this past year but I’m not sure it was Florida that I heard that about), people have a choice between shooting and diversionary feeding. Diversionary feeding has proved very effective in the few places it has been tried.
I got the full scoop on how to register for the Get-together at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake, MN, noon to 5 on Saturday, November 7. It’s $30 to cover the food. Here are the steps.
For people who want to attend and already have a PayPal account, here’s what to do:
Step 1: Go to www.paypal.com
Step 2: Log into your PayPal account
Step 3: At the top right, click on “Pay or Send Money”
Step 4: Choose the option “Send money to friends or family”
Step 5: In the box where it says “Email, Mobile Number, or Name” type
Step 6: Using your mouse, enter the dollar amount you want to send. (The cost is $30 per person.) In the box below, you may also enter a note for the recipient
Step 7: Click on Continue
Step 8: Confirm you’ve entered the information above correctly and then click on the blue “Send Money Now”
A confirmation will appear when the funds have been sent.
Looking forward to it.
Ember is still coming and going from her den, but she is consistent, so we believe she will den there.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.