Prior information regarding the status of black bears (Ursus americanus) in Hunting District 100 in extreme northwestern Montana was confusing and oftentimes conflicting. To gather information on the population and the effects of hunting, especially during the spring hunting season, 13 black bears were radio-collared and monitored during 1986 and 1987. An additional 15 bears were marked and released. Information was gathered on the age and sex structure of the capture sample, survival and mortality rates of marked bears, reproduction, home range sizes, and hunter technique and effort. A density estimate of 1 black bear/15.4 km2 for the study area was determined. The age structure of captured bears was comprised primarily of adult males, which is generally recognized as indicative of a lightly or unexploited population. However, the mortality of marked bears due to hunting was found excessive. A decrease in the number of bears captured from 1986 to 1987, the large proportion of marked bears killed, and the 1987 spring observation data, all indicate that the study area population was well sampled by trapping. A reproductive rate of 0.70 cubs/female/year was determined, with at least 1 female not producing a successful litter until the age of 7. The mean home range size for adult males (5+ years) using the minimum convex polygon method was 98.7 km2 with a range of 35.5 to 192.6 km2 (n ;: 7). The home range size for adult females was 45.8 km2 with a range of 17.5 to 107.4 km2 (n = 4). Driving open roads was the primary hunting technique used during the spring hunting season. Thirty-nine percent of the bears killed during the spring season were shot within 100 mof an open road, while 66% of the bears were killed after first being observed from an open road.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MONTANA/oai:etd.lib.umt.edu:etd-09222011-162242 |
| Date | 23 September 2011 |
| Creators | Thier, Timothy Joseph |
| Contributors | Thomas Roy, Bart W. O'Gara |
| Publisher | The University of Montana |
| Source Sets | University of Montana Missoula |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-09222011-162242/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Montana or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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