State Decides Against Bear Hunt

The possiblity of a bear hunt lottery was tossed on the table in the days following a Windsor incident in which a Poquonock man was charged with illegally shooting and killing a black bear in his back yard.

Those plans have officially been taken off the table, Courant.com reports, when the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) removed the proposal from its legislative package for the year.

If passed in the general assembly, the hunt would have been the first of its kind in Connecticut in 150 years.

With efforts to regulate a growing black bear population in the state no longer being considered, residents can find comfort in the guidelines and advice offered by DEEP on its Website.

DEEP advises "as bears become more regular residents of Connecticut towns, it is important that people learn to adapt to the presence of bears and take measures to avoid damage and problems. If people do not take precautions, problem behavior by bears can increase, possibly leading to bears being removed or destroyed."

A full list of black bear do's and dont's, as provided by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, can be found on the department's website.