They are breeding like rats
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Real world observations of G-bear populations this Fall
- Thread starter adk hunter
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Joe6pack
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In mid October in the Thorofare I saw 3-4 grizz a day, and a bear or two from camp. Grizz on this trip was the most Ive seen since starting in that area back in the late 80's. Most locals will say double the count the feds tell us. It does keep the riff raff out !
So ADK, you have gotten pretty accurate response here from people in place in grizzly country. It is difficult to guess what pseudo-science was used in the article you read.
I am both a long-time hunter of multiple species and also a long-time career biologist who has been tracking the state of the grizzly population here as well as watching other wildlife trends. Bears are not in any trouble, and grizzly populations continue to increase.
Wyoming was in the center of the bad winter over 2022-2023. We had large mortality in parts of the state among the ungulates that needed to find food all winter to survive. A lot of them could not get to food. The die-offs in pronghorn, deer of both species, and elk were devastating and horrible in places. This was in areas where animals were trapped by deep snow, and/or the food was locked under ice, and they could not access food. Without food they die. Moose did not fare as badly. Most of the ungulate species are adapted to cold survival, and can manage to get to spring as long as they can get food. Rumination produces heat, which helps keep many herbivores warm, even in severe cold. But without food there is no digestion, no heat production, and no nutrition.
Bears, on the other hand hibernate. The majority of bears are in the den as the winter snows start, or as the snow piles up, they go into their dens. By late November and into early December almost all are in hibernation for the duration. The bad winter weather last winter ran from November to April, when the snow finally melted. Bears come out of hibernation in April/May, so most didn't have to deal with that long harsh winter. The snows melted on schedule as hot weather hit. And when the bears emerged, in most places the table was set with abundant winter-kill carrion, ready for consumption.
We have Bear Management personnel, associated with the U.S. Forest Service, who try to limit public-bear conflicts in the vicinity of Yellowstone and Teton Parks. I periodically get to talk to them. All summer they had an abundance of bears they were tracking, many sub-adults - the very age class that would have died first under adverse conditions. They were reporting lots of sub-adults, in fact aggregations of sub-adults that were making some places bear holes.
This fall, hunting in those same places our party of 4 had bear encounters or fresh bear sign from grizzlies pretty much every day we were out. Thankfully they avoided our camp. Or at least they didn't visit when we were there. We were heavily electrified, so we probably would have known if they were in camp at night. Others in the area were not so lucky, and had bears in camps, sows with cubs right where they were hunting, bears terrorizing horses, etc. As I said there were plenty of bears. The area we were in also has black bears, so both might be encountered.
The bears are doing fine. The Game and Fish finally, in the last year or so, updated their model, and suddenly Wyoming was credited with twice as many bears as previously estimated. All the numbers come from modelling because actual counts of live bears are very difficult to accomplish. Those of us walking the game trails have known for many years that their number estimates were unreasonably low. Those who say there are at least twice as many bears as the game department estimates are right to an extent, but it is likely more like three times as many. And Montana has so many they are going to send some to us!
Good hunting.
I am both a long-time hunter of multiple species and also a long-time career biologist who has been tracking the state of the grizzly population here as well as watching other wildlife trends. Bears are not in any trouble, and grizzly populations continue to increase.
Wyoming was in the center of the bad winter over 2022-2023. We had large mortality in parts of the state among the ungulates that needed to find food all winter to survive. A lot of them could not get to food. The die-offs in pronghorn, deer of both species, and elk were devastating and horrible in places. This was in areas where animals were trapped by deep snow, and/or the food was locked under ice, and they could not access food. Without food they die. Moose did not fare as badly. Most of the ungulate species are adapted to cold survival, and can manage to get to spring as long as they can get food. Rumination produces heat, which helps keep many herbivores warm, even in severe cold. But without food there is no digestion, no heat production, and no nutrition.
Bears, on the other hand hibernate. The majority of bears are in the den as the winter snows start, or as the snow piles up, they go into their dens. By late November and into early December almost all are in hibernation for the duration. The bad winter weather last winter ran from November to April, when the snow finally melted. Bears come out of hibernation in April/May, so most didn't have to deal with that long harsh winter. The snows melted on schedule as hot weather hit. And when the bears emerged, in most places the table was set with abundant winter-kill carrion, ready for consumption.
We have Bear Management personnel, associated with the U.S. Forest Service, who try to limit public-bear conflicts in the vicinity of Yellowstone and Teton Parks. I periodically get to talk to them. All summer they had an abundance of bears they were tracking, many sub-adults - the very age class that would have died first under adverse conditions. They were reporting lots of sub-adults, in fact aggregations of sub-adults that were making some places bear holes.
This fall, hunting in those same places our party of 4 had bear encounters or fresh bear sign from grizzlies pretty much every day we were out. Thankfully they avoided our camp. Or at least they didn't visit when we were there. We were heavily electrified, so we probably would have known if they were in camp at night. Others in the area were not so lucky, and had bears in camps, sows with cubs right where they were hunting, bears terrorizing horses, etc. As I said there were plenty of bears. The area we were in also has black bears, so both might be encountered.
The bears are doing fine. The Game and Fish finally, in the last year or so, updated their model, and suddenly Wyoming was credited with twice as many bears as previously estimated. All the numbers come from modelling because actual counts of live bears are very difficult to accomplish. Those of us walking the game trails have known for many years that their number estimates were unreasonably low. Those who say there are at least twice as many bears as the game department estimates are right to an extent, but it is likely more like three times as many. And Montana has so many they are going to send some to us!
Good hunting.
Thank you for that post.
Very informative.
It's a crying shame we do not have limited grizzly hunting in montana and Wyoming. I live on the northern east front if the Rockies and we have a very healthy growing/ expanding grizz population. Some live as far as 75 miles out on the prairie all summer.
Some are exploring out to the east here as well.
Seems like it would be constructive for the bear population and our own to establish a different dynamic around our homes, camps, ranches, and other places they invade. Limited hunting could be an option in helping with avoidance training. It might even result in fewer "euthanasia" events resulting in deaths of habituated and destructive bears. But even a defense of life and property option for such a dangerous species as a caveat to the Endangered Species Act protections would be reasonable. We shouldn't have to wait to be injured before we can defend ourselves. Real life is different from Disney.
But of course, the species in the Lower 48 should have been delisted many years ago. Wildlife management by politics and emotions does no good for any species.
Seems like it would be constructive for the bear population and our own to establish a different dynamic around our homes, camps, ranches, and other places they invade. Limited hunting could be an option in helping with avoidance training. It might even result in fewer "euthanasia" events resulting in deaths of habituated and destructive bears. But even a defense of life and property option for such a dangerous species as a caveat to the Endangered Species Act protections would be reasonable. We shouldn't have to wait to be injured before we can defend ourselves. Real life is different from Disney.
But of course, the species in the Lower 48 should have been delisted many years ago. Wildlife management by politics and emotions does no good for any species.
Can't let your guard down yet. Probably an old boar. Unless you are in a Bannana belt.
Bears travel riparian areas and use them to vast areas unto the prairie spring thru fall, in the past they migrate back to the mountains to den but in the last 5 years we have some bears denning in the breaks of the Maria's, just west of I15 and not just sows, some mature boars do also. Just like the pre 1800's. Another interesting thing to note is the size of these prairie/ east front boars. In the last 20 years 2 spring boars have been trapped and weighed, one was 900# and another topped 1000#, they were grandpa and grandson in that order, right west of Conrad. My understanding is the largest boars west of the divide max is 800#, the east side prairie bears grow larger. In the town of Conrad a couple years back they darted a 3 year old boar that weighed a touch over 400#, yes in the edge of town and it is common in Choteau also.
I would gladly send some to comiforna, after all, they have a grizz on their state flag. Idk, some where along the mid to southern cost.seems about right. You.guys don't need our bears, you will have more then enough sooner then you.want. oh, also the front range in Colorado needs some also.
That's what I'm saying, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho should just start.boxing them up take out and shipping them where all the bleeding hearts live...because as we all know, the bears.were here first and all the people can just.leave or deal with it. Central Park needs wolves also, and Buffalo
