Spring Bear Hunting - Sample Letter to Your Legislator #5

(Remember to edit this letter and make it your own. Letters make a bigger impact on legislators if they are not identical to others.)

[Date]

Dear [Legislator’s Name],

I would like to draw your attention to an animal cruelty issue that has been overlooked in our state, but that is important to me; it is the practice of hunting bears in the spring and the orphaning and eventual death of bear cubs. Only eight states allow this practice and unfortunately [Your State] is one of them. 

Many mistakenly believe that cubs are not killed as a result of spring bear hunting, relying on a variety of false claims.

Some claim that cubs are not killed in the spring because it is easy to tell which bears are lactating, some even likening them to Dolly Parton. This could not be further from the truth. Unless the bear is quite large it is difficult to even tell the sex of the bear, and even research biologists have difficulty determining whether a bear is lactating, even when she is darted and can be closely examined. Further compounding this is the fact that in the spring, bears still have their winter coats.

Some believe that cubs accompany their mothers wherever they go, so a female bear spotted alone does not have cubs. This is untrue. Especially when cubs are young, the mother bear will leave them at the base of a tree, or have them wait in the branches for her to return. She may forage for hours and wander more than a mile before returning. 

Some claim that cubs do not die when their mother is killed by a hunter in the spring. This is untrue. Studies have revealed the fact that every cub orphaned before the middle of June, which is when they begin eating solid food, dies slowly from starvation, or is killed by predators.

Some also claim that spring hunting targets males because they emerge from their dens earlier in the year than sows with cubs. While sows often emerge later, they are active during the spring hunt in every state that allows the practice, and harvest reports reveal that female bears are killed in spring hunts, sometimes in larger numbers than male bears. 

Thank you for your time and consideration of this animal cruelty issue.

Sincerely,

[Name]
[Address]