I'm not saying I like bears getting shot, but perhaps it should be noted that there aren't a whole lot of places to relocate a bear anymore. From what I've read, once a bear gets habituated to human food, that bear will seek it out. Just about anywhere in this area (say within a day's drive) is within bear walking distance of human food.
In other words, the real issue is food storage and handling. The culprit isn't the DFG; the culprit isn't the bear; the culprit isn't someone sleeping outside of a tent. The real culprit is careless people who allow a bear to get into their food. The bear gets "the taste," the bear becomes a "problem bear," and the bear winds up getting shot. That's the real issue.
Regarding sleeping in our out of a tent: A tent is zero protection. If a bear smells food, into the tent he goes. Trust me; I've seen it happen. If the door is zipped, rip goes tent. Bears break into the trunks of cars. Cars are metal; tents are cloth. Tents are zero protection.
I think it's unfair to blame the Scout (or the Scoutmaster) for not sleeping in a tent. If the bear smelled food, he'd rip that tent right open, which is actually more dangerous (you + bear + confined space = bad) than if you're "sleeping under the stars." Sleeping under the stars is a common practice, particularly in summer in Southern California. We should not blame the Scout for not being in a tent any more than we should blame him for breathing, eating, or drinking. The real issue is whether or not he and his troop were observing proper bear country food storage and handling. If they weren't storing and handling their food properly for bear country, then I'd definitely say they're negligent. But don't blame someone for doing something so innocent as sleeping out under the stars. I understand a bear being shot is upsetting, but we need to get to the real issue (food storage/handling) rather than finding a "fall guy," yes?
