Several hundred bear hound hunters rallied at the state capitol Friday against a bill on the governor's desk that would severely restrict the use of dogs to hunt bears and bobcats.
Opposition is being led by Butte County Republican Congressional candidate Doug La Malfa. He says the state would lose $400,000 a year in bear tag license fees and would have to pay professional hunters to cull the bear population. La Malfa asks, "Do we need to be paying the government to hunt when we have people who are a productive part of the economy who are willing to do it on their own and follow the rules and guidelines that are in place?"
No word on whether the governor will sign the bill.
