Bill to assess Connecticut’s bear problem stalls on senate floor

SOUTHBURY, Conn. (WFSB) - State officials say Connecticut’s bear problem is getting worse.

As black bears encroach further into our state, lawmakers left a possible solution on the table when the legislative session ended on Wednesday.

A bill to to assess the state’s bear problem, and possibly lead to legal bear hunting, overwhelmingly passed through the house this legislative session.

It took months of amendments before finally gaining that support.

“Bears are becoming so comfortable with people. They’re becoming habituated and food conditioned. DEEP has supported just about every legislation that involves some sort of a highly regulated hunt. We think that’s important for public safety,” said Jay Fowler, Spokesperson, DEEP.

But that bill was never voted on in the senate. Lawmakers r