Nevada wildlife commissioners are poised to approve the first bear hunting season in state history Saturday following an impassioned hearing Friday in Reno.

But the idea has many detractors, some of whom begged commissioners not to proceed with a plan they call cruel and unnecessary.

With game wardens standing to enforce order, shouts of “murderers” and “killers” were issued by some audience members after comments made by commissioners at the close of Friday’s meeting made it apparent the idea will probably be approved when the panel reconvenes Saturday.

No details about seasons or quotas have yet been determined, but early proposals called for seasonal hunting of about 20 bears, said Carl Lackey, a biologist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

Nevada has a core bear population of between 200 and 300, mostly clustered at Lake Tahoe and adjoining areas of the Carson Range, Lackey said. The number could be higher counting bears living in other areas such as the Wassuk and Sweetwater ranges to the south, Lackey said.

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