Group tries to reverse decision for Nevada’s first bear season

RENO -- A citizen's group is seeking to overturn a state panel's vote to establish Nevada's first bear hunting season.

The coalition of groups and individuals opposed to the state wildlife commission's Dec. 4 vote -- nobearhuntnv.org -- maintains that 98 percent of more than 3,000 e-mails submitted to commissioners opposed the hunt, and commissioners failed to fully consider public comments as required by state law before taking action.

The group further contends state law requires hunting regulations to be based on scientific data, and there's no data that conclusively establishes Nevada's bear population and whether it's sufficient for a hunt.

Commissioners disagree, saying such data exists and they listened to the public before taking action.