When it matters to keep a cub a cub

How nice it would be if state legislators didn’t include portions of bills as favors or special-interest awards, especially when they think they’re wildlife experts.

A case in point is Rep. Jimmy Dixon’s Outdoor Heritage Act (HB 640), a bill that originated with the North Carolina Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus and passed the N.C. House on April 28.

Overall, the  Caucus does good work. Parts of HB 640 promote opportunities for under-16 youths to learn outdoor activities, increase access to public lands and create tougher penalties for trespassing and poaching. One controversial section promotes Sunday hunting with firearms. Another prohibits fox hunting on Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land.

However, a proposal likely to cause real problems is one that would reclassify bear cubs from 50 pounds or less to less than 75 pounds.

Why should the change in designation of bear cub’s size be a concern? We heard about it from members of the bear-hunting community, listened and found out.

The idea came from hunters who want fewer small bears killed. Fair enough. However, other members of the bear-hunting community said such a rule would have unintended consequences.

For instance, most bear hunters don’t want to shoot a bear smaller than 100 pounds, but it’s often difficult in hunting situations to tell the difference between a 75-pound bear and a 100-pound bear — more difficult than telling the difference between a 50-pound cub and a 100-pound bear.

If a hunter shoots a bear thinking it’s 100 pounds, and it’s really around 65, it would be a violation under HB 640. According to the bear-hunting crowd, some hunters would leave a 65-pound bear in the woods rather than carrying it out and risking a ticket.

Those kinds of situations probably would increase pressure on legislators to increase the minimum size to 100, 125 or even 150 pounds, and that could cause even more problems. Hunters would be approaching minimum sizes for adult female bears, which need protection.

The best biological decision would be to keep the 50-pound size minimum.

“On the surface, a lot of people think (a 75-pound cub weight) is a great idea because nobody wants to shoot a small bear, but such a law may turn hunters into lawbreakers,” we were told.

Through the House, HB 640 now heads to the N.C. Senate, where if it’s passed and signed by the governor, it would become law on Oct. 1.

This is what happens when legislators with limited outdoors knowledge — instead of the Commission’s wildlife experts — make laws that affect our state’s fish and game.