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>The number of attacks on humans, livestock =3D
>and family pets in this area is on the rise.

How many documented attacks on humans by cougar in Washington occured
before this supposed rise?

How many documented attacks on humans by cougar in Washington have
occurred after this rise?
I have documented no fewer than five attacks in the last 4 years. =
Cougar have been listed as a game animal long before that...

>Bait cannot be placed within 50 yds of water or within 200yds of any
>road open to vehicular traffic or any publicly maintained trail, or
>within 1/2 mile of any campground, dumpsite, or picnic area.

>Don Baccus was concerned about attracting bears into public =3D
>areas... these laws are designed to avoid those conflicts.

1/2 mile is well within the average daily strolling distance of
any bear. The point is about training bears to associate people,
as well as locales, with food anyway. You're likely to find signs in
that campground 1/2 mile from the baiting station warning that "this
is bear country" and sternly requesting that you keep a clean campsite
and food secured.
In the east-side of Washington, baiting is open in the fall- AFTER most =
of the campgrounds have been deserted... =20
> If you remove the only effective means of controlling bear =
populations,
> human/animal conflicts will increase.

This why your conclusion, that bear baiting leads to reduced human/bear
conflicts, does not necessarily follow. Since many bears never get =
killed,
but perhaps just learn to associate people sign with food, it is =
entirely
possible that the population of problem bears might rise though the
absolute numbers may drop.
Some bears associate people with food regardless of the occurance of =
baiting. Some trapped and relocated animals may travel great distances =
to return to their old haunts. Bait stations are not the only way bear =
associate food with people...
What's the size of the problem of "human/bear conflicts", outside of
NPs, in particular Oly and the North Cascades?
In north central Washington, conflicts are quite common. Bears commonly =
get removed some areas and cabin "break in" is not uncommon. If you =
were to get our local newspaper over the last winter, you would find =
there were numerous incidences of cougar on peoples back porches =
attacking cats, dogs, and livestock. =20

The two issues were lumped in Oregon,
unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned, though it did pass in this
form. Unfortunate, I say, because I too felt the issue on bear-baiting
was clear cut, and was not particularly opposed to hunting cougar
with dogs.
But baiting and hounding ARE lumped together in I-655. And you don't =
think the proponents of these initiatives planned it this way because it =
is an "easy sell" of both issues?
>Baiting is extremely selective... sows with cubs and =3D
>young animals are simply not shot.
At least, when the cubs are visible, or if the hunter feels like =
following the law that day.=20
Although many people would like to deny this- most hunters are very law =
abiding... there is always some individual who will break the law but =
most people follow the regs closely. According to the DEIS on Bear- the =
number of orphaned cubs will INCREASE if baiting and hounding is ended. =
The reason is because bears will be shot at greater distances and cubs =
may not be able to be seen in the underbrush.
>How is bear baiting any different >than using a worm for fishing?
According to many fly fishermen - not at all.
The people who initiated I-655 have as part of their agenda to end all =
fishing as being unethical expoitation of wildlife. You don't think =
bait fishing is going to be their next "easy sell"?
>How is shooting a deer over an alfalfa field any different than =
baiting?
I'll let this sentence stand without comment.
So- offer an alternative means of controlling agricultural damage by =
wildlife... I'm including timber lands and tree damage under =
agricultural damage. In our state, the WDFW writes tens of thousands of =
dollars of checks each year to pay for damage to crops by wildlife.
As another issue... how is bird feeding stations really any different =
than a bait station? Using food to attract the birds for your viewing =
pleasure?
>Money- According to the bear DEIS, if hounding and baiting is banned in =

>WA, approximately $500,000 in state revenues will be lost. This amount =

>will be greater with banning cougar hunting.
Whether we like it or not, money is an issue... Sportsmen and women =
contribute millions of dollars to the state economy each year. I-655 is =
just the beginning in a long line of initiative drives to stop all forms =
of hunting, fishing, and animal use. What wildlife programs will suffer =
in order to pay hound hunters to remove nuisance bear and cougar? The =
WDFW has programs for ALL wildlife, not just game animals.

>If you live in metropolitan areas you may not experience these animals =
=3D
>on the daily-weekly basis that we do

Personally, I get really tired of this argument. You'll find that many
of the folks in this group, at least, spend a LOT of time in bear and
cougar habitat=20

And many of you don't. How many of you regularly have bear and cougar =
in your back yard? Over the winter, as we would lay in bed at night, we =
could hear cougar every few nights behind our house. Granted, it is a =
wonderful exciting sound, but at the same time knowing you have a =
120-160# cat roaming in your yard makes you a little nervous...
Roger and Diana Peffer
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