Polar bears

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Polar bear numbers have almost quadrupled in the last 50 years. Is it reasonable to think more hunting opportunity could be added? The numbers dont jive with climate change so that crew has abandoned the polar bear so we would only have to fight animal rights activists for the most part to get more opportunity.
Im not sure I'd want to hunt them because they are so majestic and dont know if I'd like the meat, but curious if fellow hunt talkers would hunt them and what ur thoughts are on hunting them.
Do they taste good?
Can they be used to help native people?
Is there a serious conservational approach to opening up more hunting opportunity?
Can the economic fruits it creates help native communities living in polar bear habitat? Do they even need money living in those places?

 

[buffybr]

The Obama USFW admistration used their climate change computer model to predict that polar bears would be extinct in 50 years. Like most other climate change predictions, this has proved to be untrue. Canadian management of THEIR polar bears has not changed, and polar bears are still hunted there. The only thing that actually changed was that US hunters cannot bring their polar bear trophies back into the US.

To answer the OP's questions:
Do they taste good?
The native arctic people do eat polar bears. I have eaten several black bears, and I liked the meat. I have not eaten grizzly or polar bear meat so I don't know how it tastes.
Can they be used to help native people?
Yes, the native people have been utilizing polar bear meat and parts for centuries.
Is there a serious conservational approach to opening up more hunting opportunity?
Yes, Like other MANAGED bear hunting, sport hunting for old male animals DOES NOT endanger the species.
Can the economic fruits it creates help native communities living in polar bear habitat? Do they even need money living in those places?
Again yes. Foreign hunters spend tens of thousands of dollars into the native communities on each hunt, and other than the hide and skull, the rest of the bear stays with the community to utilize. Money is VERY IMPORTANT to those communities, as just about everything that they use to live in this modern world must be imported: building materials, food - other than game meat, vehicles, fuel. etc, etc.

 

[BluegrassBilly]

Polar bear numbers have almost quadrupled in the last 50 years.

Source citation? Everything I've seen is that the population data are lacking on about half of the 19 subpopulation groups.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

A month ago this was published.

The Myth That the Polar Bear Population Is Declining | Jon Miltimore

Data from conservation groups and the government show that the polar bear population is roughly five times what it was in the 1950s and three or four times what it was in the 1970s when polar bears became protected under international treaty.

fee.org

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Source citation? Everything I've seen is that the population data are lacking on about half of the 19 subpopulation groups.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

If I felt like wasting time I would screenshot another huge study on all the subpopulation groups. But I didnt ask for arguements on population size. I asked for opinions on hunting them.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I don't have an issue on hunting them, if the populations are stable. There's a lot of conflicting data out there, much of it paid for by the energy industry (Crockford in particular - and none of her work is peer reviewed, so it should be taken with about a pound of salt).

I do think that allowing for the importation of hides & skulls should happen. There's no prudent reason to keep them from entering the U.S. The bear was shot legally and within the confines of the country it was harvested in.

I doubt I'd ever hunt a grizzly, brown, kodiak or polar bear. Just not my cup of tea. Same with the big cats of Africa and Asia. Or Elephants.

 

[MThuntr]

They're listed as Threatened and protected by Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 so hunting will never happen until they're crawling everywhere because a reversal of those listings will be blocked by lawsuits.

 

[ZBB]

They're listed as Threatened and protected by Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 so hunting will never happen until they're crawling everywhere because a reversal of those listings will be blocked by lawsuits.

That’s just for America though right? An American could go to Canada and hunt them and just not bring the hide or the skull back?

 

[mdhunter]

I don't have an issue on hunting them, if the populations are stable. There's a lot of conflicting data out there, much of it paid for by the energy industry (Crockford in particular - and none of her work is peer reviewed, so it should be taken with about a pound of salt).

I do think that allowing for the importation of hides & skulls should happen. There's no prudent reason to keep them from entering the U.S. The bear was shot legally and within the confines of the country it was harvested in.

I doubt I'd ever hunt a grizzly, brown, kodiak or polar bear. Just not my cup of tea. Same with the big cats of Africa and Asia. Or Elephants.

Yea.. what he said.

 

[Panda Bear]

Polar bear numbers have almost quadrupled in the last 50 years. Is it reasonable to think more hunting opportunity could be added? The numbers dont jive with climate change so that crew has abandoned the polar bear so we would only have to fight animal rights activists for the most part to get more opportunity.
Im not sure I'd want to hunt them because they are so majestic and dont know if I'd like the meat, but curious if fellow hunt talkers would hunt them and what ur thoughts are on hunting them.
Do they taste good?
Can they be used to help native people?
Is there a serious conservational approach to opening up more hunting opportunity?
Can the economic fruits it creates help native communities living in polar bear habitat? Do they even need money living in those places?

Assuming this is a serious post.

The climate control people have not abandoned this issue. Although Greenland has increased the number that can be hunted in 2018 and Nunavut this year, because the bear population has increased , Climate control activist are not buying the fact that there are more bears. They have taken the position that because the ice is melting/shrinking we are able to "see" more of them. Regardless the number of bears that can be hunted each year has been increased.

The paws are considered a delicacy and taste like pork. Bear meat ( white, brown, even black ) can vary depending on their diet, therefore we either use it in stews or for the dogs.
However the skin can be used in several ways or sold. The fat can be used in a multitude of ways also-- medicine, ice cream, baking, etc And some of the bones make utensils, even skinning knives.

Your last question is why I questioned whether or not this was a serious post. Yes, we do need money, even shelter, food, transportation, medicine, some of us even got to a big town and went to college and we didn't show up trying to barter our way into college with a polar skin or two . Yes, trophy hunting does bring money in and those who receive it, appreciate it, as it is what some do for a living

 

[Werty]

If I ever get the chance, absolutely.

 

[Sytes]

If I felt like wasting time I would screenshot another huge study on all the subpopulation groups. But I didnt ask for arguements on population size. I asked for opinions on hunting them.

Due to their population, hell ya! Hell... Some people hunt giraffe's and hunters defend that action, as challenging as that may be...
Now, may want to wear warm clothing, it's cold... very cold, to hunt the increasing population of these bears. White would be a good color. Stay warm in this cold climate...

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Your last question is why I questioned whether or not this was a serious post. Yes, we do need money, even shelter, food, transportation, medicine, some of us even got to a big town and went to college and we didn't show up trying to barter our way into college with a polar skin or two . Yes, trophy hunting does bring money in and those who receive it, appreciate it, as it is what some do for a living

Did not mean any disrespect with the last question. I was unsure if there were some people that still lived completely off of what mother nature provides and that's why I asked.
Thanks for the information. It's great to have someone familiar on the forum.

 

[BearFoot]

Many in Alaska live off what mother nature provides. One foot in, passed on tradition, the other into our future. One Native guy, I worked with, stated he could get $100 for a small patch of white bear hide, which he can hunt. He found a market. Fly tiers. He was all about hunting polar bears.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Those are some super dubious sources to get information from. If the statement is accurate there will be peer reviewed articles or at the very least white papers by academic or state agencies. Anything published by left or right political spin machines should be left in the garbage where you found it.

 

[LCH]

Assuming this is a serious post.

The climate control people have not abandoned this issue. Although Greenland has increased the number that can be hunted in 2018 and Nunavut this year, because the bear population has increased , Climate control activist are not buying the fact that there are more bears. They have taken the position that because the ice is melting/shrinking we are able to "see" more of them. Regardless the number of bears that can be hunted each year has been increased.

The paws are considered a delicacy and taste like pork. Bear meat ( white, brown, even black ) can vary depending on their diet, therefore we either use it in stews or for the dogs.
However the skin can be used in several ways or sold. The fat can be used in a multitude of ways also-- medicine, ice cream, baking, etc And some of the bones make utensils, even skinning knives.

Your last question is why I questioned whether or not this was a serious post. Yes, we do need money, even shelter, food, transportation, medicine, some of us even got to a big town and went to college and we didn't show up trying to barter our way into college with a polar skin or two . Yes, trophy hunting does bring money in and those who receive it, appreciate it, as it is what some do for a living

Made me chuckle out loud! Thanks for the insight.

 

[WyoDoug]

Source citation? Everything I've seen is that the population data are lacking on about half of the 19 subpopulation groups.

Got to be careful when data presented by anyone even "scientists" because much of it is often cherry picked data aligned to political agendas. Polar bears move with the food supply and the main food for polar bears is seals. In areas where seal population is down, which is often due to poaching, polar bears move to find better food sources.

 

[BluegrassBilly]

Sorry if I came off as aggressive, that wasn't my intent (nor to hijack your thread). It was an honest question as I am curious about the real (versus perceived) threats to polar bears and I wondered if there was a good study out there. Charismatic megafauna are difficult for the layman to find good data on to inform opinions.

All I know about eating them is to avoid the liver. I'd think a milk soak would be advised to draw out some of the fishy fats I'm sure they carry.

 

[WyoDoug]

Blu

Sorry if I came off as aggressive, that wasn't my intent (nor to hijack your thread). It was an honest question as I am curious about the real (versus perceived) threats to polar bears and I wondered if there was a good study out there. Charismatic megafauna are difficult for the layman to find good data on to inform opinions.

All I know about eating them is to avoid the liver. I'd think a milk soak would be advised to draw out some of the fishy fats I'm sure they carry.

I too would like to see an unbiased true scientific study done without agenda or desired result in mind and have nonpartisan peer review done to verify the study.