As many of you know, we've been having a bear problem in my county for decades now. And they have finally admitted that per mile or area or however he said it, we have as many bears as they do in and around the smokey mountains.
Truth is, we were having bear problems in my community long before the state even acknowledged their existence here. But that's a story for another day.
Tonight, our county government held a public meeting to discuss the "situation".
So, I load my little tail up and drive to the courthouse to participate.
Not whine and cry, but to voice my strong opinion. May not do any good, but was nice to tell the main wildlife biologist that there's a problem, whether the state wanted to admit there was or not.
And I wasn't alone.
Even when he mentioned that nuisance calls have not risen, the Sheriff told them that people have grown tired of calling the state to do anything about it because it does no good, so they solved their bear problem their self. And he's right.
I have overheard people talking in the grocery store and just about everywhere you go about how bad the problem is, and I hear "old so and so killed 3 bears last year tearing into his chicken coops" or whatever. That's an example, but after a while, it gets so commonplace it's accepted just normal.
A lot of people were mainly fussing about garbage dumpster bears. Which as all of you know, we have our fair share of that.
But for once in my life, I would like to hear them be honest and simply admit that BEARS are the problem.
Not garbage, not how people store their garbage, but just to come out and say the obvious. Wherever bears are, they become a problem.
As bad as that is, when it got my time to speak, I told them I was more concerned about the inherent danger that someone is going to be hurt or killed grows every day. I even let them know how many people have been killed in the smokey mountains, which they compared the bear population to early in the meeting. And specifically mentioned the little 6 year old girl that was killed and her mom and brother nearly killed trying to help the little girl. I had all kinds of google stuff printed out with bear attacks and people mauled in and around the smokeys because I just knew they were going to bring up tourism.
When you can't let your kids play out in the yard without being armed, there's a problem. And I made sure to point that out.
I even told them and a handful of the fish and wildlife officers in the meeting that I'd just as soon kill every single bear in the whole state than to see someone be hurt over it.
I'm sure they didn't really like that, but I said it. And meant every word of it.
I really expected a lot of people there, but there really weren't. I even drove my truck to town early and parked it and had my wife take me back to the courthouse after supper so I'd have a decent parking spot close by.
Unfortunately, there weren't even 2 dozen people take the time to show up. I guess some didn't know about it, but I was reading the judge executives facebook reply about it, and looks like a lot of people are blowing up his account over it after the fact.
The state wants a balance of as many bears as they can have, but without having to hear complaints and the public not bitching about it is basically what it boils down to.
Oh, and garbage garbage garbage.
The comments in the link below should speak volumes. Most people here are fed up with them.
Only a couple think they're cute cuddly little critters that shouldn't be harassed. Everyone else pretty much doesn't care how they die or where they go, as long as they go somewhere else.
https://www.facebook.com/dan.mosley.14/posts/1925035917578685
Truth is, we were having bear problems in my community long before the state even acknowledged their existence here. But that's a story for another day.
Tonight, our county government held a public meeting to discuss the "situation".
So, I load my little tail up and drive to the courthouse to participate.
Not whine and cry, but to voice my strong opinion. May not do any good, but was nice to tell the main wildlife biologist that there's a problem, whether the state wanted to admit there was or not.
And I wasn't alone.
Even when he mentioned that nuisance calls have not risen, the Sheriff told them that people have grown tired of calling the state to do anything about it because it does no good, so they solved their bear problem their self. And he's right.
I have overheard people talking in the grocery store and just about everywhere you go about how bad the problem is, and I hear "old so and so killed 3 bears last year tearing into his chicken coops" or whatever. That's an example, but after a while, it gets so commonplace it's accepted just normal.
A lot of people were mainly fussing about garbage dumpster bears. Which as all of you know, we have our fair share of that.
But for once in my life, I would like to hear them be honest and simply admit that BEARS are the problem.
Not garbage, not how people store their garbage, but just to come out and say the obvious. Wherever bears are, they become a problem.
As bad as that is, when it got my time to speak, I told them I was more concerned about the inherent danger that someone is going to be hurt or killed grows every day. I even let them know how many people have been killed in the smokey mountains, which they compared the bear population to early in the meeting. And specifically mentioned the little 6 year old girl that was killed and her mom and brother nearly killed trying to help the little girl. I had all kinds of google stuff printed out with bear attacks and people mauled in and around the smokeys because I just knew they were going to bring up tourism.
When you can't let your kids play out in the yard without being armed, there's a problem. And I made sure to point that out.
I even told them and a handful of the fish and wildlife officers in the meeting that I'd just as soon kill every single bear in the whole state than to see someone be hurt over it.
I'm sure they didn't really like that, but I said it. And meant every word of it.
I really expected a lot of people there, but there really weren't. I even drove my truck to town early and parked it and had my wife take me back to the courthouse after supper so I'd have a decent parking spot close by.
Unfortunately, there weren't even 2 dozen people take the time to show up. I guess some didn't know about it, but I was reading the judge executives facebook reply about it, and looks like a lot of people are blowing up his account over it after the fact.
The state wants a balance of as many bears as they can have, but without having to hear complaints and the public not bitching about it is basically what it boils down to.
Oh, and garbage garbage garbage.
The comments in the link below should speak volumes. Most people here are fed up with them.
Only a couple think they're cute cuddly little critters that shouldn't be harassed. Everyone else pretty much doesn't care how they die or where they go, as long as they go somewhere else.
https://www.facebook.com/dan.mosley.14/posts/1925035917578685
