In response to a bear attack on a hiker in Southbury, two local lawmakers are calling for a bear hunt.  Southbury Senator Eric Berthel and New Milford Senator Craig Miner, the ranking member of the Environment Committee, said in a statement that they are relieved the Newtown man wasn't seriously injured.  But they warned that these incidents will only increase if the bear population isn't controlled. 

The pair say that livestock and pets have been killed, and warned that if something isn't done to properly manage the bear population, a tragedy is inevitable. 

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection estimates that the bear population in the northwestern portion of the state is growing at 10% a year. 

After a Rutgers student was killed by a bear in 2014, New Jersey adopted a bear hunting season.  Berthel and Miner say they hope it doesn't take a death for Connecticut to understand that a hunting season is the only way to manage this population and achieve balance in the ecosystem.