Panel says hunting could help manage grizzly bears

By The AP
Thursday, December 13, 2012

BILLINGS, Mont. — A government committee says grizzly bear hunting could help control the animal’s population once federal protections are lifted.

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee said today that hunting could help minimize conflict between bears and humans.

Plans already are in place to allow hunting in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho after grizzlies come off the list of threatened species.

Specifics have yet to be worked out, but officials say hunting would be limited to a small number of bears annually.