The killing of mother bears was one of the most controversial elements of the hunt. The state attempted to reduce the risk, banning the killing of any bears that had cubs near them. Most of the bears killed in hunt, or 59 percent, were female. The final tally showed that 21 percent of them had been lactating. Eason said this indicated compliance with the rules, since about half of all female bears would be expected to be lactating at any time.