Should Connecticut allow bear hunting?

The human race (Much of them anyway) have these things called opinions.

What are opinions? You may ask. Simply thoughts on any given subject that may be based in reality or not, and supposedly cannot be"right" or "wrong" although from a logical standpoint many quite clearly are one or the other, even sometimes somewhere in between.

Let me just say up front that in my honest OPINION there is absolutely nothing inherently "wrong" with hunting.

As I have said in previous posts humans are in fact highly carnivorous predators and have been throughout much of their history, and thus hunting was largely a way of life for many and still is for some to this day.

Admittedly few if any people in the U.S. these days require real animal pelts for warmth, and no one perhaps "needs" a bearskin rug or trophy head in their house, not to mention bears are not as an efficient source of meat as say large ruminants (deer, elk, etc) Though they do taste pretty good ;).

When you get down to the most basic of truths however you find that the government has specific hunting laws in place to allow for an animal population to remain stable (in many case quite high) This coupled with illegal poaching, which is very prevalent in some places makes you see from a purely realistic standpoint that populations of various wildlife show no signs of dwindling down to numbers that cannot be sustained for the long haul. This includes black bear in the state of Connecticut.

The facts at hand when looked at objectively show that there is nothing "wrong" with hunting bear in the state or any wildlife anywhere, when legally done so that is.

But depending on the perspective of the individual, folks’ opinions will vary widely on the subject, which is why I invite you now more than ever to send me your opinions in the comment section.

I will read and I will respond.

Enjoy the wild side even in winter

If you "like" wildlife this is one thing you can do during winter to enjoy it.

During the winter here in New England as you may well know, certain birds migrate south (Many not all!)

It is commonly believed by some that this is due to the cold. This is not actually the case, except in the sense that due to the cold many food sources for some of the more "specialized" species becomes very scarce if it doesn't disappear altogether.

One obvious example is the robin, a softbill species for which the diet consists primarily of small animals (invertebrates mostly, slugs, earthworms, etc)  The few that remain behind during the often harsh New England winters spend the duration in lowland swamps where the ground often does not freeze completely and food can still be found.
 Although two very common and conspicuous birds in New England, the mallard duck and Canada honker, are "suppose" to go south in winter it is obvious that less are doing so these days. To me it seems there are many combinations of reasons. The most commonly held beliefs by "experts" are that the birds are so used to being fed by people that they don't expect their ready food source to disappear and thus stay and that certain New England winters in certain areas these days can be very mild so that even many of the birds "natural" food sources don't disappear entirely.
On the other hand as you also well know many species of birds do not migrate and simply stay the duration of the winter making a living how they can, sometimes adapting their diets to match the changing environment.
Nevertheless it is not always an "easy" time for them, as not only are many food sources more scarce during the cold months, but food also is harder to come by and obtain.
Most of you reading this probably have at least a vague idea of what "backyard bird feeding" entails the truth is that like most things in life with just a few basic concepts there isn't really only one "right" way of doing anything.

These days with the availability of various products literally at our fingertips all the time and often for "free" or "cheap" the feeding and consequent watching of various wild bird species often close to or literally at home can be.... well meaningful in some way to whoever is doing it. And it can be done by virtually anyone.

Typically the experience one has with this is positive and at the same time it can be a great help to the birds in question by providing them with a ready food source they may not otherwise have in the area.
I am not an "expert" on it but the two basic foods typically used in winter (which by the way can be purchased at most any feed, pet, or even grocery store!) Are seeds for the seed eaters and suet (a butcher’s byproduct rendered from animal fat) for the insectivores, with many variations on both types, not to mention some interchangeable eating for many birds that eat a varied diet.
The next step after obtaining one or both of these foods is finding a way to present it to the birds in question in an appropriate area of course! Depending on your preference this can be as simple as scattering it on the ground or going a more "fancy" route and incorporating more of an organized system (raised platform, birdfeeder, etc)
Again any local retail outlet or other company that deals with this sort of thing will be able to point you in the right direction as far as what products to use and when as far as what it is you want to accomplish. There are also a great many books as well as online articles, even entire magazines written by dedicated folks who specialize in various aspects of this.
 Be sure to check those out if you decide to engage in this activity (you probably won't regret it). Other than that simply put the bird food product you have chosen in the spot you have also chosen, put some distance between it and yourself (behind a window is typical) watch and enjoy.
On a final note I will mention this one important fact. If you do this during the winter, you must keep it up throughout as it is well known that birds will "hook" onto a ready food source during this time of need and if it suddenly disappears with no others close by that may put them into a bit of an awkward position to say the least.
If you must stop this process you have started do it gradually with a daily reduction of the food amount, which will give the birds time to discover a new source by the time yours is gone. Keep in mind also that this pastime is not strictly a winter thing as the same birds will be eating food throughout all seasons and so this can be done at any and all times!

Photo credit: Paul Brentnall (Paul Brentnall / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)