For 44 years, Yellowstone’s grizzly bears were a federally protected endangered species.

This fall, up to 22 will die at the hands of trophy hunters.

Today, less than a month after 73 scientists wrote a letter in opposition to the proposed hunting season, Wyoming approved its first hunt of grizzly bears in over four decades. The hunt will be the biggest in the lower 48 states since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed protections for grizzlies in the Yellowstone region less than a year ago.

Many from the scientific community urged Wyoming Governor Matt Mead to halt the proposed grizzly bear hunt and convene a panel of experts to review data on the area’s grizzly bear populations. The letter, sent on April 25th, cites several concerns regarding Wyoming’s upcoming grizzly bear hunt; changing food sources and incidental grizzly mortalities, affecting the estimated population size, were among the listed concerns.

The grizzly bear trophy hunt season will begin in the fall and target 22 bears.