Wyoming Game and Fish Commission Moves Forward with 2018 Grizzly Bear Hunting Season

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s (WGFD) proposal to open a hunting season for Greater Yellowstone ecosystem grizzly bears in Wyoming in 2018, less than a year after their delisting.

On March 9, WGFD proposed allowing for the hunting of up to 23 grizzly bears, including females.

Jonathan Proctor, Rockies & Plains director at Defenders of Wildlife, issued this statement:

“The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission’s choice to move forward with a hazardous grizzly bear hunt immediately after delisting risks exceeding mortality limits in the core population and restricts the ability for grizzly bears to reoccupy historic habitat outside the Demographic Monitoring Area (DMA). This hunt will add unnecessary mortality to a population already experiencing high human-related grizzly bear deaths. WGFD should instead continue to focus on minimizing human-caused mortality through proactive conflict prevention, outreach and education while allowing the Yellowstone grizzly bear population to expand into historic habitat.”