Fair Chase I can't speak to the particulars of the practice of hunting an animal in its den and why it's allowed, as I'm not a hunter nor am I familiar with all of the laws. If I had to guess, it probably has to do with population control and/or protecting livestock and personal property. That said, hunting practices here in The United States blends sport and conservation. As a result, you'll come across interesting dilemmas from time to time. For instance, Gen Xers and Millenials aren't really taking up hunting as a hobby. As a result, the number of hunting licenses sold each year has been steadily declining. Because governments rely on the revenue of hunting licenses to fund parks and wildlife preserves, they're starting to feel a real financial squeeze.This seems very un-sportsman like, and since neither bears nor wolves are a necessary source of food, even for those who rely on hunting, I don't see the point. Who wants to brag about taking a trophy animal that was hiding in its den? That eliminates any skill or challenge that would have been gained.
The link between conservation and hunting is an interesting one. All of the hunters I know are very strong on conservation and protection of animals and the environment, although I know this is not universal. I plan on taking up hunting this year, but it will most likely be entirely duck and upland game.
Its always been kind of a sore subject among hunting and fishing enthusiasts as these activities produce more revenue than is reinvested and the licensing money is siphoned out to other government activities. So you will get states closing down fish hatcheries, defunding land conservation public access and shutting down fishing zones, while at the same time revenues are up or steady and commercial/Indian harvesting is at record numbers.