Hartford (AP) — The possibility of a bear hunting season in Connecticut is under consideration.

The General Assembly's Environment Committee was scheduled Wednesday to vote on a bill that would require the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to submit a report next year on the possibility of establishing a bear hunting season-by-lottery program.

DEEP agrees a report evaluating whether a bear hunting season is needed, but has told lawmakers that state officials should wait for data from a four-year study of the black bear population in northwestern Connecticut by the University of Connecticut.

DEEP biologists are also collecting information about bears.

The Humane Society of the U.S. opposes the bill, arguing there's no scientific rationale or necessity for a bear hunting season. The group predicts the public would also oppose it.