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A great adirondack legend lost.

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Shovel

Shovel

Forager
Jul 12, 2012
182
0
Wherever I choose to live.
A bit of bad news came to my attention recently. The legendary black bear, Yellow Yellow, has been shot and killed by a hunter. It had been a lifelong dream of mine to see her, but well, that's not going to happen. She will hopefully live on through her cubs. Goodbye yellow yellow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25bear.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.wktv.com/news/local/Legendary-bear-of-the-Adirondacks-killed-by-hunter-179360471.html

http://adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/534491/Yellow-Yellow--Exploring-the-myth-and-reality-of-a-notorious-High-Peaks-bear.html?nav=5008
 
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santaman2000

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Maybe. But not much bragging goes with a bear. They're not especially hard to hunt. Just hang around the garbage dumps.
 
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Bushwhacker

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
8
Dorset
"The incident was perfectly legal and occurred on Oct. 21, during bear season" - from the adirondackdailyenterprise link.

Nothing to discuss here.
 
Elen Sentier

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 8, 2012
4,197
2
Kingdom of Ergyng (Herefordshire)
www.elensentier.co.uk
I read the Adirondaks article. The "problems" have all grown from the stupid people who encourage the bears to come and feed with one hand and then torture and kill them with the other.

The whole attitude of the people to the bears is not only sad but very frightening - that people are so dense, disconnected and selfish. They've completely lost touch with nature to the extent that anything non-human which inconveniences them must be hurt, terrifed and eventually killed. The descriptions of "hazing" the bears reminds me of the descriptions of prisoner treatment at Gitmo !!!

I don't suppose my hope that the humans will realise that they are actually getting in the bears' (or any other "problem" creature's) way and changing their habits will ever happen. Few people realise that with a mere 250,000 yrs of homo sapiens we are new-boy-on-the-block here on Planet Earth and decidely not "sapient". At jersey Zoo, the first "cage" you looked into used to have this sign underneath it, "The animal you see through these bars is the most destructive creature on Earth" ... behind the bars was a mirror. Thank you Mr Durrell, the only "problem" creature is us.

You probably gathered this makes me cross !!!
:soapbox::cussing::banghead::aargh4::mad::AR15firin
 
Wayland

Wayland

Hárbarðr
Apr 18, 2005
11,192
1,788
59
A traveler of both time and space
www.wayland.me.uk
Bushwhacker said:
If it was a squirrel, rat or a rabbit would it be as bad?
Click to expand...

I have no intention of getting into an argument with you about it, I simply don't kill without good reason and I just cannot think of a good reason to kill a bear that is peacefully going about it's business.

I think it is sad that some people think that killing just for the sake of it makes them a better human being. It's probably a bit like buying a big red sports car... Often done to make up for other insecurities.
 
C

calgarychef

Forager
May 19, 2011
168
1
woking
Well I can think of several reasons to hunt bears. They taste delicious, I make nice warm mittens out of the fur, the fat makes the best whitest scones you can imagine, the fat also makes a great soap and they can be an incredible challenge to hunt if you're spot and stalking. Also bears are responsible for 60% predation of new moose calves every season. Commercial logging and oilfield activity has opened a lot of the forest to sunlight and the result is that a lot of desirable bear habitat has been created. Bears have 2or 3 cubs every year and the numbers can really start to add up fast. This makes them a good candidate for a sustainable hunt.

If you've ever seen a bear eating a moose calf alive you might think twice about condemning a hunter who makes a quick and clean kill-both are doing what nature dictates. Without hunting all species we would have very drastic population swings of high and low populations where mass starvation is the result. There is a big difference between being a conservationist and an emotionalist.
 
santaman2000

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Wayland said:
When you get your hands dirty on the type of conservation projects I work with then I'll let you make an uninformed judgement like that unchallenged.

In the mean time, perhaps you would like to tell us just what conservation work you do?
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of what type conservation work he does. Rather it's a matter of how much real life experience any of us have (on an everyday basis) living with a a bear population of any size. We have a fair number here in Florida and they have many, many times that number in Alberta where Calgarychef is from.

They're still protected here in Florida but they are beginning to become a nuisance as their numbers increase. They're all but impossible to relocate as they almost always return (even distances of near 1000 miles) Even so, I'm not ready to hunt them here just yet; maybe in another 5 year the population will be that large.

On the other hand in areas where there are enough bears to not only be sustainable but even problematic (both for the human population AND the bears themselves as well as other wildlife) There's absolutely no reason not to hunt them (apart from emotional reasons) They just aren't any different from any other game animal in that respect; They are indeed deliscious. They do indeed have a pelt well worth using. They can indeed be a nuisance when their numbers are too high. They can indeed be detrimental to the other wildlife if their numbers are mismanaged (just as we did almost irreperable damage to the forests by overprotecting them from wildfire for more than 2 generations)

If you know of anything that contradicts those reasons to hunt them, please let us know. But I do mean a practical reason and one which applies in an area with a large bear population. Obviosly NOT the same in an area with a population that is endangered.
 
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C

calgarychef

Forager
May 19, 2011
168
1
woking
Ok wayland you started it first so I'll let you tell me first what kind of environmental issues you "get your hands dirty" on. Then if I think they are worthy I'll mention mine.
 
Harvestman

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
Let's not turn another thread into an argument here. This is an emotive subject. The issue is basically that some people (myself included) can't imagine ever wanting to shoot a bear. However Santaman and Calgarychef have given some good practical reasons why shooting a bear might be necessary sometimes. Both viewpoints are fine. Let's keep it there.

:angel:
 
R

Robbi

Full Member
Mar 1, 2009
10,244
1,037
northern ireland
Harvestman said:
Let's not turn another thread into an argument here. This is an emotive subject. The issue is basically that some people (myself included) can't imagine ever wanting to shoot a bear. However Santaman and Calgarychef have given some good practical reasons why shooting a bear might be necessary sometimes. Both viewpoints are fine. Let's keep it there.

:angel:
Click to expand...

well said mate :)
 
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