Bill Expanding Colorado Bear Hunt Dates Dies

DENVER (AP) - A bill allowing more time for bear hunting in Colorado has died as this year's legislative session winds down.

The proposal was postponed on the House calendar Tuesday. It won't have enough time to pass this year because the Legislature adjourns Wednesday.

House Bill 1294 would have repealed a voter-approved initiative that prohibits hunting bears from March 1 to Sept. 1. The initiative passed amid concerns that female bears were being hunted in the spring when they're caring for cubs.

Some Republicans argued that wildlife officials need flexibility to expand hunting dates to manage the bears' population.

The bill's sponsor tried to ease concerns about spring hunting by removing March, April and May as options for bear hunting, but the proposal still didn't appear to have enough votes to succeed.

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