The Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wild Life Management is asking the public to help with a new research study and report any known black bear den locations. With the use of …
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The Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Wild Life Management is asking the public to help with a new research study and report any known black bear den locations. With the use of Pittman-Robertson Funding and conducted by the Department's Office of Applied Science, the study will analyze reported dens and generate estimates of reproductive rates of black bears within each bear management zone. These estimates will improve the accuracy of the population models for those zones.
Public reporting of bear dens will increase the study's success and the accuracy of the black bear population model, as black bear dens are difficult to locate. The public is encouraged to report as much information about the dens location and recent use as possible without approaching or disturbing the dens. Den locations from prior years can be useful since black bears will occasionally re-use dens.
The DNR is surveying black bears to improve the input parameters of its population model.
The project focus is on black bear reproduction, updating parameters like average litter size, cub survival and litter frequency. Researchers will survey bear dens within each of the bear management zones.
Research staff will collect biological data from these dens throughout the winter, including examined sex, weight and body measurements. Blood, tooth and hair samples will also be col- lected and analyzed in the lab. Sows will be fit with GPS tracking collars to monitor survival of the sow and cubs.
Additionally, researchers are investigating a connection between consumption of human food sources and reproduction since the availability of food could alter the reproductive output in the area.
Updating these reproductive parameters and investigating a connection to human food will each produce crucial information about the black bear populations in each management zone and can inform the management of black bears across the state. Completion of the study is expected to continue until June, 2025.
Black bear dens can be reported at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7DSMFZS
