DENVER Rep. J. Paul Browns bill to expand the states bear hunting season is dead.
House Bill 1294 would have needed a final vote in the House by Tuesday. But that didnt happen, and the Legislature adjourned for the year Wednesday.
His bill would have allowed bear hunting beginning in June. Voters in 1992 prohibited the bear hunting season from beginning before September. The bill would have kept in place the voters bans on hunting with dogs or bait or killing bears with cubs.
Browns bill had passed an initial vote in the House last week, with support from most Republicans and a couple Democrats. But three or four members of both parties wavered during the debate last week, and a targeted lobbying effort appeared to snuff out the bill.
Ken Strom, director of the Audubon Colorado, was happy to hear the bill is dead.
Brown might try again next year.
I really believe the Colorado Division of Wildlife needs to have more flexibility on bear hunting to take care of some of these problem bears, Brown said. I dont want to hurt other legislators because of it, but we have to take care of some of these human-bear conflicts.
Reach Joe Hanel at [email protected].
