With a week before the Nevada Commission on Wildlife is scheduled to discuss making temporary regulations on a bear hunt permanent, the number of bears taken by hunters has fallen off dramatically.
The last bear taken was on Aug. 28, according to state wildlife division spokesman Chris Healy.
"I can only speculate why," he said of the two-week lull. "Some hunters are waiting for the weather to get colder. I've heard some say they want to wait for fall. They do have a long season."
Seven black bears have been killed so far in Nevada's first hunt, the largest of which, a 700-pound male was killed in the Carson Range between Kingsbury Grade and Highway 50.
Healy said that all seven bears so far killed in the hunt have not had contact with the state.
"All seven of these bears are new to us," he said. "They've not been trapped, or tagged or tattooed. None of them has been handled by us at all."
Healy said he suspects that the bear taken near Kingsbury Grade probably had raided some garbage cans, but that he hadn't been caught.
Any hunter who has shot a black bear is required to contact the Nevada Department of Wildlife within 24 hours of the kill. Within 72 hours a hunter is required to present the bear skull and hide with evidence of gender attached to confirm the kills.
Healy said hunters aren't required to eat the meat, but all but three or four of the 41 hunters attending the indoctrination meeting said they would.
Hunters also can't do whatever they want with the bear.
"You can sell the hide and the head, and all that, but you cannot sell internal organs," Healy said. "You can't sell the meat of any big game animal, but you could donate it if people wanted the meat and were willing consumers."
