Could Bear Hunts Come to Connecticut?

The Connecticut Mirror reports that Connecticut’s environmental officials may be considering a bear hunting season as a way to control the state’s increasing bear population.  According to the article, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) says there are currently several hundred black bears in Connecticut and “the population is expected to double every five to seven years.”  DEEP investigated more than 350 reports of damage by bears last year and the state is “now spending a quarter-million-dollars a year responding to concerns” about the bear population.  DEEP reportedly continues to research the issue and is working on a bear management plan. 

Agency representatives say it could take two more years before DEEP is ready to recommend a bear hunting season.  For more information about bears in Connecticut, see DEEP’s website.