State Rep. Parker Fairbairn this week championed the House passage of his House Bill 4937, which creates a bear backup shooter hunting license. Current law does not allow for backup shooters during bear hunts, preventing guides, dog handlers and others from assisting with the harvesting of bears that have been legally shot and wounded by the licensed hunter whom they are accompanying.

“While most hunters deliver a clean shot this does not mean the animal dies instantly,”
said Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs. “Even with excellent shot placement, it may take a bear a few minutes to expire. In these cases, many things can go wrong very quickly. A large, agitated bear can move quickly and unpredictably, even after being wounded. Allowing a backup shooter to legally dispatch a wounded bear, when necessary, would add a level of safety and reduce the chances that a bear runs headlong into an unsuspecting hunter or dog handler some distance away or lays down somewhere that it is not found and recovered.”

Fairbairn’s plan would allow Michigan residents – such as hunting guides and dog handlers, who also hold valid base hunting licenses – to purchase a bear backup hunting license for an additional $50. An out-of-state hunter who holds a valid base license would be able to purchase the backup license for $250.

These back up shooter license holders would be permitted to accompany a licensed bear hunter and shoot a bear that has already been shot but has not yet expired. This backup bear hunter license would be valid for the length of the hunting season, in all bear hunting units, and could be used to back up an unlimited number of hunters, each of whom would then place their own tag on the harvested animal.

This plan would not affect the number of licenses issued.

The plan now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.

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