California hunters may soon be allowed to bag more bears, but that may do little to keep the animals out of hillside neighborhoods like Duarte and Monrovia.
The preliminary plan from the Department of Fish and Game would allow hunters to legally kill 2,500 black bears. Although that's an increase of almost 50 percent, hunters will likely avoid the San Gabriel Mountains, the Pasadena Star-News reported.
"There really just aren't a lot of people who are going to hit the San Gabriel Mountains to go hunting. It's such a hard zone to hunt in," Fish and Game wildlife biologist Kevin Brennan told the newspaper.
In 2008, the Monrovia Police Department received 120 bear-related calls. Last year, they received 464 calls.
Those numbers could continue to rise as bears become more accustomed to suburban trashcans filled with tasty treats -- a trend, Brennan says, that is also discouraging to hunters.
"Bears that eat garbage do not taste good. You might as well lick a trash can," Brennan told the Star-News.
