Mon, May 12 2008
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Published March 31, 2008 04:17 pm - "As more people move into the area, it makes it tougher on bears." Bear, bee buzz may prolong hunting season By Sheri McWhirter Traverse City Record-Eagle (Traverse City, Mich.) TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Black bears' ravenous pursuit of fresh honey may put them in a sticky situation: an extra week of targeting by hunters.
The state Department of Natural Resources wants to extend the bear hunting season in Benzie, Leelanau and parts of Grand Traverse and Kalkaska counties to contend with a rising number of nuisance bear complaints. Hunters with permits for the Baldwin bear management unit could start a week early this year in those four counties, if the state's Natural Resources Commission approves proposed new rules next month in Lansing. "We don't think much of them, but they are dangerous animals when they get out of line," said Julius Kolarik, an orchard farmer and beekeeper from northern Leelanau County. Kolarik has long endured bears that break into his beehives, tempted by honey and the bee brood. Many farmers use electric fences to avoid thousands of dollars in damages and lost profits, but it doesn't always work, he said. Several years ago, Kolarik legally shot a bear as it pawed through his beehives. He supports the culling of nuisance bears, but said there is a place for the animals here, even as humans encroach on their habitat. "As more people move into the area, it makes it tougher on bears," Kolarik said. Beekeeper Jeremy Jelinek of Suttons Bay also lost hives to scavenging bears and agreed a longer hunting season could help the problem. He plans to install a new protective fence around his bee yard this spring. 
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