Written By - WDNR - 06/10/2008
Link to Original Article here

MADISON - Preliminary results of a two-year cooperative study of Wisconsin\r\nblack bears suggest that the population may be two times or more larger\r\nthan currently thought. Biologists stress that the new estimate comes\r\nfrom a half finished study and may change when data from the second\r\nyear of the study are analyzed. Early results are encouraging, however,\r\nand indicate Wisconsin continues to provide quality habitat for large\r\nmammals like bears.

\"This is good news,\" said Keith Warnke,\r\nDepartment of Natural Resources deer and bear ecologist. \"It means we\r\nhave a healthy bear population, and we may be able to expand bear\r\nhunting opportunity. The other good news is that more people will have\r\nopportunities to see these great animals in the wild.\"

The\r\ntwo-year, DNR-funded study was conducted by University of\r\nWisconsin-Madison Wildlife Ecology graduate student Dave MacFarland\r\nunder the guidance of Dr. Timothy Van Deelen.

\"The preliminary\r\nresults are comparable to bear densities in Minnesota and Michigan\'s\r\nUpper Peninsula,\" said Van Deelen. \"Dave and I spent a good deal of\r\ntime rechecking our calculations and we\'re eager to see if the results\r\nhold when the second year of data are incorporated.\"

In the bear\r\nstudy, some 3,500 baits marked with tetracycline were set out across\r\nthe state€™s bear range in 2006. Tetracycline, when ingested, is\r\nharmless to bears but leaves a telltale line in a bear€™s bones.\r\nSuccessful bear hunters in 2006 and 2007 were asked to provide a\r\nsection of a rib bone from bears they harvested for analysis. From\r\nthose samples, the biologists were able to use a formula to calculate\r\nthe estimated bear population.

Using tetracycline is a variation\r\non a wildlife population estimating technique known as mark and\r\nrecapture. Other examples of mark and recapture are banding of\r\nwaterfowl and songbirds and radio collars or radio implants on other\r\nspecies. When hunters report harvesting a banded game bird or\r\nbiologists recapture a banded songbird, that information is used in a\r\nmodel to estimate total populations.

Currently, biologists track\r\nblack bear populations by placing a series of baits on routes in each\r\ncounty throughout the black bear€™s range and record which are consumed\r\nby bears over a week long observation period. Biologists use these\r\nobservations to help build a population model that also takes into\r\naccount hunter harvest, hunter success rates, bear population data and\r\nhistorical harvest rates to generate a population estimate. This model\r\nestimates the current black bear population in Wisconsin to be at about\r\n13,000.

€œIt is important to keep in mind that these models both\r\nprovide information for us to consider when managing the bear\r\npopulation, and both are important to scientific bear management,€\r\nWarnke said. €œWe are always working to improve the science we have to\r\nmanage wildlife populations. The department funded the research to\r\nimprove our bear population estimate and expand the science base we\r\nhave on this species. The Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association was a key\r\ncollaborator on this study and many members participated in gathering\r\ndata and contributing research supplies. I€™d also like to thank Dave\r\nMacFarland for organizing and conducting this research and his help in\r\nenlisting cooperation from the bear hunters.€

In the\r\ntetracycline study, a much larger number of bait stations were used and\r\nthe bait stations were constructed in a way that only bears could reach\r\nthe bait. The new study also carefully adjusted the amount of bait so\r\nthat a single bear would likely consume all of it in one visit, greatly\r\nreducing the possibility that one bait might mark two bears. By\r\ncomparing the number of baits consumed in a season to the number of\r\nharvested bears showing the tetracycline marker in their bones,\r\nscientists were able to calculate the new population estimate.

Officials\r\nstress that these are preliminary findings and it is too early to draw\r\nconclusions or implement changes. The earliest possible changes that\r\nwould impact bear hunting permit availability would be for the 2009\r\nhunting season. Adjusting black bear population goals will necessitate\r\nchanges to administrative rules and involve public meetings, and\r\nNatural Resources Board and legislative approval.

€œWhen the\r\nfinal results are in we€™ll be able to use this information to assess\r\nbear population goals and adapt our bear management program,€ says\r\nWarnke. €œAny changes to bear management policies will be done\r\ncarefully, with public input and only after thorough analysis of\r\npotential impacts. The first priority is and always will be\r\nconservation of the resource.€

€œOur bear population is expanding\r\nand one benefit of that is that people can expect to see bears in areas\r\noutside what is thought of as traditional range,€ Warnke said. €œDespite\r\nbears€™ general shyness toward humans, people in the central and\r\nsouthwest areas of the state likely can expect to see more evidence of\r\nbears as they disperse, looking for new territories.€

Adult\r\nblack bears typically weigh 250 to 500 pounds for males (boars) and 200\r\nto 450 pounds for females (sows). Infant bears, called cubs, are born\r\nquite tiny but by the time they are 2 months old, they weigh about 6\r\npounds. Females give birth to two or three cubs in January or February\r\nwhen they are still in their winter sleep. When standing on all four\r\npaws, adult bears measure 2 to 3 feet tall at their shoulders.
Tips for living safely with black bears

Biologists offer the following advice for avoiding unwanted encounters with black bears:

* Never feed bears €\" the bear will not forget the feeding experience and will return, possibly becoming a nuisance.
\r\n * Make bird feeders inaccessible to bears by hanging them at least 10\r\nfeet off the ground and 5 feet away from tree trunks or on a limb that\r\nwill not support a bear.
* Bring feeders in around mid-April when bears emerge hungry from their winter dens.
* Keep garbage cans indoors if possible.
* Bring in pet food at night.
* Do not keep food in your tent if you are camping.
* Store camp food and cooking utensils away from your campsite.
* Dispose of food scraps in closed containers away from the campsite €\" not in the fire.

If you encounter a black bear:

* Make noise €\" let the bear know you are there so you don€™t surprise it.
\r\n * If you happen to surprise a black bear at close range, back away\r\nslowly or, if available, get into a vehicle or structure until the bear\r\nleaves the area.
* Leash your dogs in known bear country.
* Respect black bears as wild animals and enjoy them safely - from a distance.

Nuisance black bears

The\r\nagency responsible for nuisance black bears in Wisconsin is the U.S\r\nDepartment of Agriculture €\" Wildlife Services. Report nuisance bears to\r\nthem at:

USDA-WS, Waupun district
1201 Storbeck Dr.
Waupun, WI 53963
1-800-433-0663*
920-324-4514

or

USDA-WS, Rhinelander district
PO Box 1064
Rhinelander, WI 54501
1-800-228-1368*
715-369-5221

More information on black bears in Wisconsin is available on the Wildlife Management pages of the DNR Web site.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/PUBL/wlnotebook/bear.htm

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Warnke, DNR - (608)
264-6023 or Timothy Van Deelen, UW, - (608) 265-3280

Uplodaded by WisconsinOutdoor.com