SALT LAKE CITY – Utah’s black bear population is growing, and that means the potential for dangerous encounters between bears, humans and livestock is also higher.
Since the 1990s, Utah’s black bear population has more than doubled to over 4,000, so the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is looking to increase the number of black bear hunting permits next year and add another hunt.
“We’re recommending a summer hunt. We haven’t had one of those before. We’re recommending a hunt that would start on June 6th and run until July 2nd. That’s really the period of time where bears really start to get into trouble,” said Mark Hadley with the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Hadley doesn’t expect adding permits or extending the hunting season will drastically increase the number of bears taken. He says that on average, between 25 and 30 percent actually get a bear.
