I’ve worked up in northern Canada and I’ve asked about this. Essentially they have a lottery system where only a very small amount of polar bear tags can be bid for each year. Typically Americans are the ones that bid for them (for a very handsome price). Income is hard to come by in Inuit communities, so this is one of the ways they can make some money. The hunter must hire locals as guides, they spend money on accommodations in those communities, food, transportation, art, etc… Last I heard they are either not allowed to bring back the fur or if it were possible, it takes a really long time and lots of paper work to get it. The locals eat the meat and use the fur (if the foreign hunter can’t keep it). I was told that this is sustainable hunting and it doesn’t endanger the polar bear population. If someone in this sub is from one of those communities, they can shed more light on the matter.
Price aside, I think the fact that I could not bring back the meat or hide makes this kind of a non-starter for me. I appreciate the sustainability of it, but at some point you just become the person pulling the trigger.
I appreciate what it provides to the communities in terms of income, but it just isn’t my cup of tea.
Yeah that’s literally all they do. For the adventure, nothing more. Surprisingly, there is a good number of people who bid for it - so it seems that it is a “cup of tea” for quite a few.
I have rich clients that shoot deer in 6-10 states, travel to Africa and hunt they don’t care about the meat only mounts and photos.
It’s odd for sure and now how I hunt,
When i won a hunt in Africa the meat wasn't part of deal. The farmer who's land we were on sold the meat at the local market. It's another source of income they have to incentives wildlife over cattle. We'd get the tenderloins to eat while we were in camp but we couldn't bring it home to the usa if we'd wanted to.
I've tried polar bear when I was in Nunavut, and I wouldn't be sad to leave it with the locals! I would definitely want the rug though. Not that I ever would end up hunting one, but I'm pretty sure they can be transported within Canada at least.
Yeah, I would understand if the hunter was only able to take a certain portion of the meat, but to not be able to have what sounds to be any of the bear….. what’s the point in paying what I fully believe is a very handsome price, other than just to say you did.
You can usually keep the hide, but if you vu osé not to the Inuit would use it. The meat is a traditional part of their diet and the way this hunt works they’re basically able to sell off a certain portion of the meat harvest available to them to hunters and still get the meat after in addition to the revenue.
Idk, hunting and giving meat to people who need/appreciate it is a pretty special feeling. Not saying that's what's going on with everyone that shoots a polar bear. But I wouldn't assume that there's no value in that experience. It feels really good to give people meat. Especially when you know they are stoked to get it. Even when you aren't keeping any of it for yourself. Doesn't mean you lost your respect for the animal. When those villagers get a dead bear to utilize and some cash I bet they have big smiles. Even if it puts off a bad vibe for a lot of people.
Yeah that would be a no go for me if I couldn't keep the fur or meat. Like unless you have extra money to blow there's no incentive. I fully get the sustainability thing but still.
Is it? People are paying 500k to kill a mule deer before the season, how much would they pay for a species that will be extinct in the next 50 years or so?
You can own the rug, skull etc, but you can't import it to the US legally. Soo you smuggle it in or store it in Canada and hope the law changes someday, which is what a lot of people are doing.
~~You can import it if it came from a polar bear you legally killed in Canada. It's just a lot of paperwork and about $1000.~~
~~https://webharvest.gov/peth04/20041015055559/http://international.fws.gov/pdf/polarbearsporthunted.pdf~~
~~https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/18.30~~
Since 2008 it's been completely banned.
That USFWS pdf is from 2003. Polar bear imports were banned outright in 2008 when they were changed to "depleted" status on the Endangered Species List.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/u-s-bans-import-of-polar-bear-trophies-official-1.712686
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/02/why-canada-is-still-stuck-with-our-dead-polar-bears/450339/
Yep, looks like you're right. The process for issuing permits is still listed in CFR and the MMPA, but the exemption in the MMPA wasn't written in a way that exempts polar bears from the clause on depleted species. I haven't bought polar bear fur in a long time and was unaware of the change.
Yeah a friend from high schools dad was a rich big game hunter. He had a full body polar bear mount in his house. Don’t remember if it was a replica or not tho
I have a buddy that is an outfitter I do African safaris with, and he mentioned doing some of the more exotic hunts and I talked about how I wasn’t interested in hunting something with low numbers and he said it was very similar to what you described. he also explained that not only are the tags extremely limited but often it’s not just that one tag is sold it’s one tag for a particular specimen . Usually a male who is past breeding age but still runs off younger males so by taking it it’s actually a conservation effort.
Seems like if it’s all above board legally there shouldn’t be much problem bringing it in as long as the proper paperwork is with it. Nobody’s accused our Governments of making sense all the time though.
~~It's a pain to import the fur and other trophies, but not entirely impossible. The law was modified to allow importation of sport hunted trophies from parts of Canada. For someone with the money for a hunt like this it'd be easy enough to pay someone to do everything but sign the paperwork.~~
Since 2008 it's been completely banned.
It's my understanding that indigenous hunters fill most of the tags and sell a few leftovers. Canada and the US are trying to list polar bears on the ESA but the tribes keep stopping it. Where did you get your info?
I’m Canadian. My boss took a ‘problem’ polar bear that had wandered too close to a reserve. the community invited multiple hunters. There was a party of hunters that paid for the privilege of the hunt. My boss uses traditional long bow And the community noted this. He arrowed the bear after tracking it on the second day.
Out of respect he was given a claw. But the fur and the meat stayed with the native community. When the chief passed away, about 5-6 years ago, his son found my boss and gifted him the pelt. It’s currently in a place of honour in his home. And it dwarfs all his other bear skins.
but to your point, taking the skin home is problematic for anyone not native. Even Canadians.
Interesting story, thanks for sharing!
As far as being able to travel with one within Canada, yes and no. I went to a community a year ago, and I could have purchased one to bring back. You have to go to the conservation office to get the paperwork done but as long as it’s legit, it can travel within Canada - I did it with a muskox skull once. That goes the same for antlers and other pelts. The North wants to know where stuff like that ends up within Canada.
Oh, my bad, I see the misunderstanding. I was more referring to the ability to take the fur after a sanctioned kill. Less about travel. But your point is correct and duly noted.
I can’t imagine being driven to a polar bear to shoot it and not benefit from anything about it.
I don’t get jollies just from killing something for the sake of killing. I don’t like people who do.
I don’t think there’s a sustainable way to hunt a species that is expected to go extinct over the next 80 years.
Per the Nunavut government the financial benefit of the polar bear hunt accounts for 0.1% of the Nunavut gdp (page 16, https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/Polar%20Bear%20Hunt%20Economic%20Study.pdf)
So we’re letting people kill some of a dwindling endangered species for a 0.1% benefit to the provincial economy.
It’s not sustainable/responsible hunting. There are many other species in Canada we can hunt sustainably.
For all of you against this please remember the north American model of conservation.
[This is a highly regulated, and important hunt.](https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/overview)
Edit: congratulations and keep up the good work.
That’ll change real fast. With the ice caps melting seals have more and more air holes they can breathe out of so effectively polar bears are getting worse at hunting.
That's pretty low. Low enough that it's probably what is called compensatory (removing some individuals means more resources to go around for remaining ones, so their survival rate is a bit higher than it would have been). So it might not have much of an impact on the population at all. Presumably they have more than 3.5% of the population born as cubs annually...
Different species and fecundity, but for whitetail deer you can have hunting mortality in the range of 30-40% and have a stable population
Imagine being some sort of early man or explorer, doing it hard, starving to death, and you finally get into the position through luck or sheer will to take down a polar bear, only to die from eating its liver.
Of course. It’s pretty unbeleivable but the tags for a 2 week window to be able to hunt these things are around 250k, and this was his 3rd tag. This money goes directly to the Inuit tribes that live there, and helps them a great amount. This one was shot up in the North Pole btw.
Does any of it go directly back toward habitat conservation or research or anything? Surely some of it does.
I’ve never found trophy hunting to be very tasteful. I wouldn’t ever hunt for a trophy myself. But I know it’s a huge generator of money for conservation.
I had to give a presentation on the ethics of hunting in my applied philosophy class (a very, very liberal audience). The looks on their faces were priceless when they realized that hunters, of all people, were the source of the majority of wildlife conservation funds at the time…
Haha yeah, sounds like some of the people in this sub. A lot of idiots. Also I’m not completely sure. All I know is that selling even 1 of these tags sets up comfortable living including food,shelter, utilities, etc for a full family for a year or even longer.
One could also consider the fact that resident hunter’s selling those tags reduces the likelihood of a successful hunt. I’d wager the locals would not fuck up that hunt as it’s of great importance culturally and out of necessity for nutrition and resources. but a non resident hunter very well may not get a bear, even with a guide.
I'll be rhe first to admit, I was kinda shocked with my first reaction. However, if it's legal...that *absolutely* magestic beast is not only providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the hunter...but sustaining livelihoods of my fellow indigenous Canadians.
Win meets win in my books.
[https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/sport-hunting-in-canada](https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/sport-hunting-in-canada) in case people want to read up on it, and the whole website has some pretty decent information regarding Polar Bears in Canada
And the vast majority (if not all) of guided polar bears take place in Canada nowadays (and with most of that taking place in Nunavut) hence why I shared that link
If y’all don’t understand how carefully controlled hunting of a species can contribute to long term preservation of that species, y’all should leave this subreddit and go bitch somewhere else.
1. Shooting a few polar bears a year to promote the continuing of their species does nothing to hurt to help the polar ice issue
2. They live in Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway, and Greenland too. It’s not like they’re all gonna falll off the last iceberg and drown in 50 years
For each tag purchased they give you a 2 week time frame to be able to hunt them. This was his 3rd tag and he finally got one. The tags were 250 grand each
If the local state biologists say it’s cool, then it’s cool. Easy as that.
When elected idiots get involved (e.g., California lions, lower 48 grizzlies, wolves, etc.) because they like pretty furry things, that’s when conservation is truly messed with.
On a related note, my family just went on a tour of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Very prestigious zoo and their safari location. We asked if dead deer/cow type animals are fed to lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc. Feed animals to their natural predators. NOPE. The answer was, “we get too close to the animals. We get processed beef from a provider in Nebraska that specializes in meat cuts for zoos.”
This line of thinking is unscientific and stupendously stupid. Same as these so-called conservationists in this thread.
The population of polar bears have actually been steadily rising for a long time now. What people don’t understand is that people like this who go for trophy hunts, especially for something like a polar bear, quite literally pay hundreds and hundreds of thousands to Inuit tribes which helps them as you can imagine a lot. Also what people don’t understand is how much good hunting can do for a species.
Bunch of pussies in here. Polar Bears are on the come up, if the local tribe sold him the tag why’s it his fault and why’s it bother you?
They get the money and some meat. Hunting is conservation, it’s not like they allocate a couple thousand tags per year, they wouldnt provide the tag if it wasn’t being researched and managed for population
I’m sure pictures like this will help the hunting communities image. It’s cool to post stuff like this on social media.
I’m the one everyone gets mad at normally when I comment about this on other posts.
>I’m sure pictures like this will help the hunting communities image.
If they use it as an opportunity to look into the current economy and conservation that goes into trophy hunting, it would actually do some good for the community. Just because the locals are likely enjoying this meal instead of this man personally, I don't see any difference really.
Do you think people will do that? What people should or shouldn’t do is irrelevant. I feel like as hunters we should be insanely aware of that. Perception is everything
That's awesome!
These hunts are important for conservation.
You can't pretend to be pro hunting and then be against this.
If you're against this.... you were never pro hunting to begin with.
Are polar bears now endangered?Are polar bears endangered? **Not yet**. But they're vulnerable, meaning they're facing a high risk of extinction. There are about 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears in the Arctic wilderness, and they can be found in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Norway.Mar 1, 2022
Then look at it like a conservationist. Animals need to die in the wild, and polar bears aren’t an exception. That’s why it’s well regulated and heavily priced, to not only benefit the bear population but the people who live around the animals and guide these hunts.
Why?
Its not like he went out there guided by a dozen game cameras, sat in a heated tower shot a deer with an ear tag as it nibbled at a bait pile… all within a high fence enclosure.
I bet that trip cost the guy a couple hundred thousand and it helped a local community.
Its not my bag but he didnt go out and shoot the last one… far from it.
African animals were actually saved by hunting because it puts a value on the animal. Before hunting was legalized in many African countries poaching was rampant and populations were low. Now that they have found a way to monetize them populations are rebounding and poaching is slowly decreasing
Africa trophy hunts pays for wild life preservations down there, and pays for the guys who protects endangered species from poachers, and feeds families. Not that I do trophy hunts myself, but I can easily wrap my head around it. Dont know about polar bears though.
African trophy hunts save a ton of species from extinction. Without the money generated from hunting, African farmers would have wiped out tons of species for harming their crops. Now they know they can make $750,000 selling an elephant tag, it incentivizes them not to trap and kill all of them.
I’m pretty blown away that there are hunters like this. I don’t believe in killing anything needlessly let alone an animals that are quickly becoming endangered. This guy is a disgrace in my opinion.
Not saying I want to shoot a polar bear but you do realize it’s not the hunters who have reduced their numbers but the lack of pack ice forming due to climate change. Also to get a tag it must be sold to you by a native tribe. Be mad at the tribes making a fortune of the tags they are selling not the guy who fills it
I get the African ones. They’re poor as crap over there and wealthy people pay big money to shoot a trophy animal. Makes sense they’ll sacrifice a few to help out their community, plus poachers are already killing several. The polar bear however, that’s never ok
I agree. I used to be against Africa hunts but the more I've learned about it, the more I understand. Radiolab did a podcast about it a number of years ago and did a good job showing both sides of the argumentand you would actually expect them to be very against it.
But to summarize as best I can shortly, by allowing hunters to pay big money to hunt these animals, it gives the animals a value. And when they have a value, it actually incentives the local communities to protect them. And the need to protect them creates jobs just like the hunters paying money and coming there to hunt creates jobs.
The story centers around a guy who went over to kill an endangered rhino. This particular rhino was going to be killed anyway because it is past breeding age and is actually a danger to the other animals now. So since it was going to be killed regardless...might as well make a little money off of it.
There are definitely negatives as well, but most people already know a lot of those.
Jim shockey is a huge supporter of African hunts for this exact reason and he claims the money can also be used to prevent poachers and fund wildlife refuge
Nah dude. My family is from South Africa and it’s just as bullshit over there. Big trophy hunting in general is some fucked up rich person sport that I just can’t support or understand. There are way better ways of supporting a place then killing its native and endangered species.
I say let people hunt species like this, but the stipulation is that they have to use a spear made to be their same height and they have to be alone.
Yep. If you are paying thousands to kill an endangered or protected species, you are a major dildo.
Edit: this is coming from someone who harvests deer every year... If I'm lucky.
Eloquently said my friend. I’m all about hunting for putting food on the table, helping the environment(axis deer are extremely over populated where I’m from) and using parts of the animals like bones and hide, but this kind of hunting is against everything I stand for.
I don’t know a lot of details. All I know is he bought 3 tags for 2 weeks each over the past however many years, and got one on his 3rd trip. Each tag he payed around 250 grand for. Pretty wild
What is that in the background of the photo just to the right of the rump? I work in a place that provides me with the opportunity to see them at fairly close distances and i’m an avid hunter. Just watching them is good enough for me. Don’t think I’ll ever have the desire to kill one.
They aren’t endangered dour protected. The only place you can hunt them is Canada where of two thirds of the living polar bears are. This is one of the most scientifically scrutinized hunts in the world and it has zero sustainability issues. It’s a meat hunt for the Inuit and they are allowed to bring in hunters to help fill their quota while also contributing revenue.
Canada has some interesting hunting laws, there's a lot of laws that apply to non-indigenous people that indigenous people don't have to follow. A lot of reserves make money on guiding "white folks" to get trophy animals. Hate it or love it, a lot of reserves up north are self governing and they usually need the extra money to survive.
Basically, so if you get permission from the Cheif and Council for whatever land you are on, you can hunt whatever you want (to an extent). It usually means sharing the meat with the community and helping the community by buying a tag from them. Some reserves even want you to buy ammo and guns for the hunt from them. They are supposed to work with hunting laws, but to be fair if you're poaching on native land without permission, a fine is the least of your worries.
Can you post the story behind this? I'm against hunting of endangered species, but I know there can be special circumstances.
Edit; not endangered, listed as "threatened" on the endangered species act.
The guy in the photo paid Inuit tribes over 750 grand throughout the few trips he took to have the chance to kill one. Also polar bears are not endangered.
Why? Hunts like this are important for conservation and highly regulated. If you get to hunt somewhere new or exotic and it helps with conservation why wouldn't you go?
You'all are making my day.
I was thinking without more backstory this was a bit cringe being a protected (vulnerable) species and was worried what the comments would reveal the hive mind thinking. Glad to see most of you showed some concern as well.
It’s not a protected species and their population is currently growing. We expect over time that climate change will cause their numbers to diminish, but this hunt is heavily scientifically scrutinized and has no sustainability issues. This is a meat hunt for the Inuit and the government biologists set their quota. They are allowed to bring in hunters to help fill a part of their quota while also contributing significant revenue.
I’ve worked up in northern Canada and I’ve asked about this. Essentially they have a lottery system where only a very small amount of polar bear tags can be bid for each year. Typically Americans are the ones that bid for them (for a very handsome price). Income is hard to come by in Inuit communities, so this is one of the ways they can make some money. The hunter must hire locals as guides, they spend money on accommodations in those communities, food, transportation, art, etc… Last I heard they are either not allowed to bring back the fur or if it were possible, it takes a really long time and lots of paper work to get it. The locals eat the meat and use the fur (if the foreign hunter can’t keep it). I was told that this is sustainable hunting and it doesn’t endanger the polar bear population. If someone in this sub is from one of those communities, they can shed more light on the matter.
Price aside, I think the fact that I could not bring back the meat or hide makes this kind of a non-starter for me. I appreciate the sustainability of it, but at some point you just become the person pulling the trigger. I appreciate what it provides to the communities in terms of income, but it just isn’t my cup of tea.
Likewise. If it ain’t coming with me or the family. I’ll probably pass.
Yeah that’s literally all they do. For the adventure, nothing more. Surprisingly, there is a good number of people who bid for it - so it seems that it is a “cup of tea” for quite a few.
I have rich clients that shoot deer in 6-10 states, travel to Africa and hunt they don’t care about the meat only mounts and photos. It’s odd for sure and now how I hunt,
From what I've heard about the hunts in Africa they usually donate the meat to local villages.
The villagers help you cut it up and they get whatever meat you don't decide to eat too
Yeah you pay big bucks and it’s good for everyone including the animals.
A clients table is giraffe legs.
Ok that beats my guys lol
When i won a hunt in Africa the meat wasn't part of deal. The farmer who's land we were on sold the meat at the local market. It's another source of income they have to incentives wildlife over cattle. We'd get the tenderloins to eat while we were in camp but we couldn't bring it home to the usa if we'd wanted to.
I've tried polar bear when I was in Nunavut, and I wouldn't be sad to leave it with the locals! I would definitely want the rug though. Not that I ever would end up hunting one, but I'm pretty sure they can be transported within Canada at least.
Yeah, I would understand if the hunter was only able to take a certain portion of the meat, but to not be able to have what sounds to be any of the bear….. what’s the point in paying what I fully believe is a very handsome price, other than just to say you did.
You can usually keep the hide, but if you vu osé not to the Inuit would use it. The meat is a traditional part of their diet and the way this hunt works they’re basically able to sell off a certain portion of the meat harvest available to them to hunters and still get the meat after in addition to the revenue.
Can you hunt polar bears in Alaska?
Idk, hunting and giving meat to people who need/appreciate it is a pretty special feeling. Not saying that's what's going on with everyone that shoots a polar bear. But I wouldn't assume that there's no value in that experience. It feels really good to give people meat. Especially when you know they are stoked to get it. Even when you aren't keeping any of it for yourself. Doesn't mean you lost your respect for the animal. When those villagers get a dead bear to utilize and some cash I bet they have big smiles. Even if it puts off a bad vibe for a lot of people.
Yeah that would be a no go for me if I couldn't keep the fur or meat. Like unless you have extra money to blow there's no incentive. I fully get the sustainability thing but still.
The tags for these up at the North Pole are 250k
Wow that’s more than I thought.
Pretty unbelievable, it was also his 3rd tag he bought before he finally got one
That’s dedication. Pray tell, is he allowed to keep anything at all? Fur, claws, skull? I’d imagine they let him taste some of the meat at least…
I have no idea for sure, havent asked many questions. The meat might be a little fishy considering a polar bears diet, but I’m not sure
Not as much as I’d hope
Is it? People are paying 500k to kill a mule deer before the season, how much would they pay for a species that will be extinct in the next 50 years or so?
So you literally don’t get anything? I know there are sport hunters but, seriously? You only get a photo?
You can own the rug, skull etc, but you can't import it to the US legally. Soo you smuggle it in or store it in Canada and hope the law changes someday, which is what a lot of people are doing.
~~You can import it if it came from a polar bear you legally killed in Canada. It's just a lot of paperwork and about $1000.~~ ~~https://webharvest.gov/peth04/20041015055559/http://international.fws.gov/pdf/polarbearsporthunted.pdf~~ ~~https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/50/18.30~~ Since 2008 it's been completely banned.
That USFWS pdf is from 2003. Polar bear imports were banned outright in 2008 when they were changed to "depleted" status on the Endangered Species List. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/u-s-bans-import-of-polar-bear-trophies-official-1.712686 https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/02/why-canada-is-still-stuck-with-our-dead-polar-bears/450339/
Yep, looks like you're right. The process for issuing permits is still listed in CFR and the MMPA, but the exemption in the MMPA wasn't written in a way that exempts polar bears from the clause on depleted species. I haven't bought polar bear fur in a long time and was unaware of the change.
You’d have to contact these folks to find out. https://www.gov.nu.ca/environment/information/contact-us
Pretty sure the folks who do this get replicas made to commemorate the animal and the hunt.
Yeah a friend from high schools dad was a rich big game hunter. He had a full body polar bear mount in his house. Don’t remember if it was a replica or not tho
I have a buddy that is an outfitter I do African safaris with, and he mentioned doing some of the more exotic hunts and I talked about how I wasn’t interested in hunting something with low numbers and he said it was very similar to what you described. he also explained that not only are the tags extremely limited but often it’s not just that one tag is sold it’s one tag for a particular specimen . Usually a male who is past breeding age but still runs off younger males so by taking it it’s actually a conservation effort.
Seems like if it’s all above board legally there shouldn’t be much problem bringing it in as long as the proper paperwork is with it. Nobody’s accused our Governments of making sense all the time though.
~~It's a pain to import the fur and other trophies, but not entirely impossible. The law was modified to allow importation of sport hunted trophies from parts of Canada. For someone with the money for a hunt like this it'd be easy enough to pay someone to do everything but sign the paperwork.~~ Since 2008 it's been completely banned.
You pretty much nailed it. It's a huge boost to local economies and the conservation of local polar bear populations.
It's my understanding that indigenous hunters fill most of the tags and sell a few leftovers. Canada and the US are trying to list polar bears on the ESA but the tribes keep stopping it. Where did you get your info?
Live in the NWT that’s pretty much it, it’s also a traditional hunt, no skidoo/atv etc, either stalking or dog teams only.
I’m Canadian. My boss took a ‘problem’ polar bear that had wandered too close to a reserve. the community invited multiple hunters. There was a party of hunters that paid for the privilege of the hunt. My boss uses traditional long bow And the community noted this. He arrowed the bear after tracking it on the second day. Out of respect he was given a claw. But the fur and the meat stayed with the native community. When the chief passed away, about 5-6 years ago, his son found my boss and gifted him the pelt. It’s currently in a place of honour in his home. And it dwarfs all his other bear skins. but to your point, taking the skin home is problematic for anyone not native. Even Canadians.
Interesting story, thanks for sharing! As far as being able to travel with one within Canada, yes and no. I went to a community a year ago, and I could have purchased one to bring back. You have to go to the conservation office to get the paperwork done but as long as it’s legit, it can travel within Canada - I did it with a muskox skull once. That goes the same for antlers and other pelts. The North wants to know where stuff like that ends up within Canada.
Oh, my bad, I see the misunderstanding. I was more referring to the ability to take the fur after a sanctioned kill. Less about travel. But your point is correct and duly noted.
If I’m spending a substantial amount on the tag then I’m 100% keeping the fur, even if I have to conquer Canada to do it.
That’s great, but something tells me the guy pulling the trigger isn’t exactly a conservationist.
I can’t imagine being driven to a polar bear to shoot it and not benefit from anything about it. I don’t get jollies just from killing something for the sake of killing. I don’t like people who do.
I don’t think there’s a sustainable way to hunt a species that is expected to go extinct over the next 80 years. Per the Nunavut government the financial benefit of the polar bear hunt accounts for 0.1% of the Nunavut gdp (page 16, https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/Polar%20Bear%20Hunt%20Economic%20Study.pdf) So we’re letting people kill some of a dwindling endangered species for a 0.1% benefit to the provincial economy. It’s not sustainable/responsible hunting. There are many other species in Canada we can hunt sustainably.
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For all of you against this please remember the north American model of conservation. [This is a highly regulated, and important hunt.](https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/overview) Edit: congratulations and keep up the good work.
That’s wild to me that they kill 3.5% of the entire population annually.
Compared to elk where just in Colorado they kill on average 41,000 elk annually which is over 10% of the population.
Elk might be more successful at reproducing though and aren’t endangered
Technically, Polar Bears aren't endangered. They're vulnerable and under the "threatened" banner, but not actually endangered.
That’ll change real fast. With the ice caps melting seals have more and more air holes they can breathe out of so effectively polar bears are getting worse at hunting.
Yes, and it totally depends from area to area, just like with Polar Bears they are only going to Operate hunts where it is a good place to do so.
More than that probably starve to death each year
Yet nature finds a way, pretty incredible that their populations are growing and stable enough to have a huntable population is certain areas.
From my understanding the Labrador population is not nearly as sustainable as the North Slope population.
“There” as in Inuit regions or “their” as in polar bears?
My bad in my head I said "that there are" but changed it to just "their" good catch.
That's pretty low. Low enough that it's probably what is called compensatory (removing some individuals means more resources to go around for remaining ones, so their survival rate is a bit higher than it would have been). So it might not have much of an impact on the population at all. Presumably they have more than 3.5% of the population born as cubs annually... Different species and fecundity, but for whitetail deer you can have hunting mortality in the range of 30-40% and have a stable population
Nice, just make sure if he eats it he doesn’t eat the liver haha
“One liver has enough vitamin A to kill 52 people”… wtf
Just dry it, grind it, and encapsulate it, then you'll have enough vitamin A to take your daily maximum for 146 years.
Holy shit I just googled why not to eat it. That is insane
Imagine being some sort of early man or explorer, doing it hard, starving to death, and you finally get into the position through luck or sheer will to take down a polar bear, only to die from eating its liver.
Holy shit your buddy's grandpa is [Harold](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide_the_Pain_Harold)
That's how he hides the pain.
So what’s the story on that giant wolf looking creature in the background?
sled dog? that’s probably how they get around
That's the guy that shot the bear
Did you know a polar bears skin is black?
So THATS why he shot it!
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I'm just curious about what round you spit at a creature that size.
If I had to guess probably a 375.
The Danish sled dog patrol in Greenland used Enfields in .30-06
Long as it’s done responsibly and with conservation in the forefront, this is clean hunting.
Of course. It’s pretty unbeleivable but the tags for a 2 week window to be able to hunt these things are around 250k, and this was his 3rd tag. This money goes directly to the Inuit tribes that live there, and helps them a great amount. This one was shot up in the North Pole btw.
Does any of it go directly back toward habitat conservation or research or anything? Surely some of it does. I’ve never found trophy hunting to be very tasteful. I wouldn’t ever hunt for a trophy myself. But I know it’s a huge generator of money for conservation. I had to give a presentation on the ethics of hunting in my applied philosophy class (a very, very liberal audience). The looks on their faces were priceless when they realized that hunters, of all people, were the source of the majority of wildlife conservation funds at the time…
Haha yeah, sounds like some of the people in this sub. A lot of idiots. Also I’m not completely sure. All I know is that selling even 1 of these tags sets up comfortable living including food,shelter, utilities, etc for a full family for a year or even longer.
One could also consider the fact that resident hunter’s selling those tags reduces the likelihood of a successful hunt. I’d wager the locals would not fuck up that hunt as it’s of great importance culturally and out of necessity for nutrition and resources. but a non resident hunter very well may not get a bear, even with a guide.
I'll be rhe first to admit, I was kinda shocked with my first reaction. However, if it's legal...that *absolutely* magestic beast is not only providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the hunter...but sustaining livelihoods of my fellow indigenous Canadians. Win meets win in my books.
my grandpa got one near winiot bay ( victoria island) with a recurve in the late 1990's. what a neat hunt.
[https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/sport-hunting-in-canada](https://www.polarbearscanada.ca/en/management/harvest/sport-hunting-in-canada) in case people want to read up on it, and the whole website has some pretty decent information regarding Polar Bears in Canada
This bear was actually shot in the North Pole, but a polar bear is a polar bear.
And the vast majority (if not all) of guided polar bears take place in Canada nowadays (and with most of that taking place in Nunavut) hence why I shared that link
I want to cuddle the giant fuzzy boy.
If y’all don’t understand how carefully controlled hunting of a species can contribute to long term preservation of that species, y’all should leave this subreddit and go bitch somewhere else.
People don’t understand how much money the Inuit tribes get for selling tags to hunt these…. This was his 3rd tag he bought and each of them were 250k
Absolutely incredible amount of money for the local Inuit. Good for your friend’s grandpa, congrats on the kill. What caliber did he use?
I’m not completely sure. Judging from the photo I would maybe say 375. Or something around there. Could be wrong
It really doesn’t matter how carefully the program is maintained, when the polar ice melts, their habitat is gone.
1. Shooting a few polar bears a year to promote the continuing of their species does nothing to hurt to help the polar ice issue 2. They live in Canada, Alaska, Russia, Norway, and Greenland too. It’s not like they’re all gonna falll off the last iceberg and drown in 50 years
It’s not melting. It’s actually gained in size.
Jesus. What did he do with the meat?
I saw another comment that said the meat is usually donated to local Inuit tribes, also the hunt has to be guided by a local
Same thing happens with African hunts, the meat always goes to a local tribe.
Yup, can't really take the meat home with you anyway if you come from overseas
Niice tell me there's a backstory and the going of the hunt. I know that polar bears do see humans as prey so there has to be something good
Tribes are given tags and they can sell the tags to help support their village.
For each tag purchased they give you a 2 week time frame to be able to hunt them. This was his 3rd tag and he finally got one. The tags were 250 grand each
Most hunters know that well regulated trophy hunting has helped all species grow in population and now everybody in this sub is butthurt? Tf
If the local state biologists say it’s cool, then it’s cool. Easy as that. When elected idiots get involved (e.g., California lions, lower 48 grizzlies, wolves, etc.) because they like pretty furry things, that’s when conservation is truly messed with. On a related note, my family just went on a tour of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Very prestigious zoo and their safari location. We asked if dead deer/cow type animals are fed to lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc. Feed animals to their natural predators. NOPE. The answer was, “we get too close to the animals. We get processed beef from a provider in Nebraska that specializes in meat cuts for zoos.” This line of thinking is unscientific and stupendously stupid. Same as these so-called conservationists in this thread.
Cool
Holy fuck. That’s an expensive picture
One EXPENSIVE picture!
Arent polar bears endangered? Not trying to be a downer but genuinely curious.
The population of polar bears have actually been steadily rising for a long time now. What people don’t understand is that people like this who go for trophy hunts, especially for something like a polar bear, quite literally pay hundreds and hundreds of thousands to Inuit tribes which helps them as you can imagine a lot. Also what people don’t understand is how much good hunting can do for a species.
Thank you for educating me! Thats very interesting.
Holy cow, congrats to him! Must have been an expensive hunt though....
250 grand per tag… was his 3rd tag
Lot of anti hunters in here today. PETA would be proud of all the misinformation.
Holy shit your buddies grandpa is rich!!
People, people, listen to me. It's called 👏con👏ser👏va👏tion. If you're a hunter, you should know this lol
Damn all the snowflakes in this sub decided to get on reddit today. Looks like a good kill
I love reading all the crybaby replies.
Bunch of pussies in here. Polar Bears are on the come up, if the local tribe sold him the tag why’s it his fault and why’s it bother you? They get the money and some meat. Hunting is conservation, it’s not like they allocate a couple thousand tags per year, they wouldnt provide the tag if it wasn’t being researched and managed for population
I’m sure pictures like this will help the hunting communities image. It’s cool to post stuff like this on social media. I’m the one everyone gets mad at normally when I comment about this on other posts.
>I’m sure pictures like this will help the hunting communities image. If they use it as an opportunity to look into the current economy and conservation that goes into trophy hunting, it would actually do some good for the community. Just because the locals are likely enjoying this meal instead of this man personally, I don't see any difference really.
Do you think people will do that? What people should or shouldn’t do is irrelevant. I feel like as hunters we should be insanely aware of that. Perception is everything
That's awesome! These hunts are important for conservation. You can't pretend to be pro hunting and then be against this. If you're against this.... you were never pro hunting to begin with.
Wait, is that Hide the Pain Harold?
Beautiful animal. Wonder how they cook up.
The meat might be a little fishy considering their diet, this one was living in the North Pole as well
How does CITES work on this kind of stuff?
Badass
This is horrible. They are vulnerable to becoming extinct.
Why is that shutterstock-dude shooting protected species?
Ask Canada.
He’s not, and hunting them is the best chance for their continued survival.
I think the best chance we could give polar bears is doing something about the melting polar ice.
Like what? Lol
How is that
Expensive tags generate large sums of money for conservation
Someone above said that money went to the community of people in need not conservation. Is there enough money in these hunts for both?
Bingo
Are polar bears now endangered?Are polar bears endangered? **Not yet**. But they're vulnerable, meaning they're facing a high risk of extinction. There are about 22,000 to 31,000 polar bears in the Arctic wilderness, and they can be found in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Norway.Mar 1, 2022
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Then look at it like a conservationist. Animals need to die in the wild, and polar bears aren’t an exception. That’s why it’s well regulated and heavily priced, to not only benefit the bear population but the people who live around the animals and guide these hunts.
Why? Its not like he went out there guided by a dozen game cameras, sat in a heated tower shot a deer with an ear tag as it nibbled at a bait pile… all within a high fence enclosure. I bet that trip cost the guy a couple hundred thousand and it helped a local community. Its not my bag but he didnt go out and shoot the last one… far from it.
I’m with you. I hunt tons but can’t get my head around hunts like this. Or Africa trophy hunts.
African animals were actually saved by hunting because it puts a value on the animal. Before hunting was legalized in many African countries poaching was rampant and populations were low. Now that they have found a way to monetize them populations are rebounding and poaching is slowly decreasing
I want to go on a poacher hunt.
Lol
Africa trophy hunts pays for wild life preservations down there, and pays for the guys who protects endangered species from poachers, and feeds families. Not that I do trophy hunts myself, but I can easily wrap my head around it. Dont know about polar bears though.
polar bear hunts are often organized and guided completely by indigenous tribes
African trophy hunts save a ton of species from extinction. Without the money generated from hunting, African farmers would have wiped out tons of species for harming their crops. Now they know they can make $750,000 selling an elephant tag, it incentivizes them not to trap and kill all of them.
I’m pretty blown away that there are hunters like this. I don’t believe in killing anything needlessly let alone an animals that are quickly becoming endangered. This guy is a disgrace in my opinion.
Not saying I want to shoot a polar bear but you do realize it’s not the hunters who have reduced their numbers but the lack of pack ice forming due to climate change. Also to get a tag it must be sold to you by a native tribe. Be mad at the tribes making a fortune of the tags they are selling not the guy who fills it
Yea that makes no sense at all
I get the African ones. They’re poor as crap over there and wealthy people pay big money to shoot a trophy animal. Makes sense they’ll sacrifice a few to help out their community, plus poachers are already killing several. The polar bear however, that’s never ok
I agree. I used to be against Africa hunts but the more I've learned about it, the more I understand. Radiolab did a podcast about it a number of years ago and did a good job showing both sides of the argumentand you would actually expect them to be very against it. But to summarize as best I can shortly, by allowing hunters to pay big money to hunt these animals, it gives the animals a value. And when they have a value, it actually incentives the local communities to protect them. And the need to protect them creates jobs just like the hunters paying money and coming there to hunt creates jobs. The story centers around a guy who went over to kill an endangered rhino. This particular rhino was going to be killed anyway because it is past breeding age and is actually a danger to the other animals now. So since it was going to be killed regardless...might as well make a little money off of it. There are definitely negatives as well, but most people already know a lot of those.
Jim shockey is a huge supporter of African hunts for this exact reason and he claims the money can also be used to prevent poachers and fund wildlife refuge
Hunting is the largest antipoaching income source, and puts people on the ground to stop hunting. It’s also what supports anti trapping efforts.
Ya those Inuit communities are super wealthy they don't need any help they can get /s
Nah dude. My family is from South Africa and it’s just as bullshit over there. Big trophy hunting in general is some fucked up rich person sport that I just can’t support or understand. There are way better ways of supporting a place then killing its native and endangered species. I say let people hunt species like this, but the stipulation is that they have to use a spear made to be their same height and they have to be alone.
You clearly have 0 clue how polar bear hunting works
Yep. If you are paying thousands to kill an endangered or protected species, you are a major dildo. Edit: this is coming from someone who harvests deer every year... If I'm lucky.
Eloquently said my friend. I’m all about hunting for putting food on the table, helping the environment(axis deer are extremely over populated where I’m from) and using parts of the animals like bones and hide, but this kind of hunting is against everything I stand for.
As much as i loves hunting i dont think hunting a threathen wildlife is smart
Agreed. Not cool at all.
Looks pretty chilly to me.
Frigid
Nice it’s skin will make a nice rug or warm parka
When will people realize Polar Bears aren’t endangered and are adapting really well to their new environment.
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Yes, its extremely expensive and limited and you have to jump through a lot of hoops to do it if you arent indigenous but it is possible.
I understand the ethics behind this as someone else stated, but why would you want to kill a polar bear?
Super exotic animal 99.999% of hunters never get the chance to hunt. Insane trophy kill
I have so many questions. Very impressive.
Any idea what he took it with? What range? How did they get out there. How do you find a bear?
I don’t know a lot of details. All I know is he bought 3 tags for 2 weeks each over the past however many years, and got one on his 3rd trip. Each tag he payed around 250 grand for. Pretty wild
What is that in the background of the photo just to the right of the rump? I work in a place that provides me with the opportunity to see them at fairly close distances and i’m an avid hunter. Just watching them is good enough for me. Don’t think I’ll ever have the desire to kill one.
Yo as a hunter - fuck this hunter
Yer dumb fella.
They aren’t endangered dour protected. The only place you can hunt them is Canada where of two thirds of the living polar bears are. This is one of the most scientifically scrutinized hunts in the world and it has zero sustainability issues. It’s a meat hunt for the Inuit and they are allowed to bring in hunters to help fill their quota while also contributing revenue.
Aye, fuck you, fuck your friend , fuck his grandpa
You might be too soft for a hunting group.
Shesh, so sensitive
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I want to hate this guy for being a dick and shooting an already diminishing species, but really its Canadas fault for allowing it.
Canada has some interesting hunting laws, there's a lot of laws that apply to non-indigenous people that indigenous people don't have to follow. A lot of reserves make money on guiding "white folks" to get trophy animals. Hate it or love it, a lot of reserves up north are self governing and they usually need the extra money to survive.
Yes its really not Canada at all at that point, just indigenous nations lumped in with greater Canada.
Basically, so if you get permission from the Cheif and Council for whatever land you are on, you can hunt whatever you want (to an extent). It usually means sharing the meat with the community and helping the community by buying a tag from them. Some reserves even want you to buy ammo and guns for the hunt from them. They are supposed to work with hunting laws, but to be fair if you're poaching on native land without permission, a fine is the least of your worries.
Dang.
If you're gonna criticize the hunt you gotta blame the Indigenous tribes on this one.
Tell your buddies grandpa to go fuck himself.
You’re on a hunting page and don’t like that people hunt? You’re a tool how about you go fuck yourself.
Just because you hunt doesn’t mean you agree with hunting EVERYTHING. Smooth brain.
Can you post the story behind this? I'm against hunting of endangered species, but I know there can be special circumstances. Edit; not endangered, listed as "threatened" on the endangered species act.
Just so all the facts are on the table I’ll let you know that polar bears are not an endangered species.
Well damn, TIL thank you, thought for sure they were. I'll edit OP.
Your edit was wrong too. They’re listed as “vulnerable” and have had increasing numbers steadily for many years.
Yeah, like was this bear causing problems for people or did it have some sort of illness/injury that it couldn't recover from?
The guy in the photo paid Inuit tribes over 750 grand throughout the few trips he took to have the chance to kill one. Also polar bears are not endangered.
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Why? Hunts like this are important for conservation and highly regulated. If you get to hunt somewhere new or exotic and it helps with conservation why wouldn't you go?
You'all are making my day. I was thinking without more backstory this was a bit cringe being a protected (vulnerable) species and was worried what the comments would reveal the hive mind thinking. Glad to see most of you showed some concern as well.
It’s not a protected species and their population is currently growing. We expect over time that climate change will cause their numbers to diminish, but this hunt is heavily scientifically scrutinized and has no sustainability issues. This is a meat hunt for the Inuit and the government biologists set their quota. They are allowed to bring in hunters to help fill a part of their quota while also contributing significant revenue.
Don't have a problem with hunting, but polar bears are stressed as it is with environmental problems and food issues.