Bear Update

[BearGuide]

Here is an article and it is pretty much the same that I have been seeing out there...

Baiting opener Aug. 17, bear-food reports mixed

Minnesota Outdoor News

Thursday, August 16, 2007 10:15 AM EDT
By Joe AlbertAssociate Editor

Grand Rapids, Minn. - While rain has been scarce across much of the state, and much of the land is bone dry, berries and other bear foods have done well and could affect hunters' success.

Bear season begins Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 14. Hunters can begin baiting this Friday, Aug. 17.

Most summer bear foods have been productive and likely have resulted in nuisance complaints that are few and far between, according to a preliminary report on bear foods compiled by Karen Noyce, a DNR bear researcher. Fall foods now are coming into season and they, too, appear to be doing well.

'We can also anticipate that as long as the acorns, hazel, dogwood, and plums are not depleted by fall, hunters may have to work hard to get bears to come to their baits during the hunting season, and harvests may be below average,' Noyce wrote.

Hunters have harvested more than 3,000 bears in each of the past four seasons, and last year killed 3,290 bears.

A total of 13,200 permits were available in the state's 11 bear permit areas for this year's hunt. As of Monday, the following areas had permits remaining for any hunter to purchase: Area 22 - 58; Area 24 - 64; and Area 45 - 195.

The bear hunt, of course, will be driven in part by food conditions in local areas, but following is an overview of the food situation in the state:

Juneberries: above average to bumper crops across much of the bear range, especially in the north.

Chokecherries: above average in most places, with a bumper crop in some.

Blueberries: above average in northern-tier counties, and spotty, but average, in other places.

Raspberries: average to above average across the bear range.

There have been ample foods in the forest for much of the summer, though summer berries have begun to dry up in some parts of the state, particularly the southern part of the bear range, Noyce said.

The fall foods look like this:

American hazel: bumper crop in the northwest and above average or bumper elsewhere.

Beaked hazel: above average across the bear range.

Wild plum: not an abundant species, but it's having a bumper year. Bears may eat a lot of it.

Dogwood: at least average.

Oak: burr/white oak doesn't look particularly good, but red and pin oak are producing reasonably well. Overall acorn abundance is at least average.

'Nuts seem to be falling a bit early, however, and rain is still lacking, so conditions may change somewhat within the next few weeks,' Noyce wrote.

Brian Bachman, president of the North American Bear Foundation, said no matter what baits hunters put out, bears will eat natural food instead if it's available.

Bachman lives in Pillager, which is in Area 45 in the central part of the state. He said that area is particularly dry.

'It doesn't look like there's much for acorns, but some are falling, so I'm not sure if they'll play much of a role,' he said. 'There were some chokecherries, but they were early so I don't expect them to be an issue.'

Last year, there were very few berries in the northeast and it was relatively easy to get bears to come to baits. This year, there seems to be more berries, which could make baiting a more difficult proposition, Bachman said.

Tom Rusch, DNR area wildlife supervisor in Tower, also predicts a fruitful bear hunt. He said the Eveleth area is somewhat wet, but areas around Ely, Tower, and northern Lake County are dry.

Berries are falling off the plants, he said, and the drought probably has led to a poor crop of acorns. Hazelnuts are falling from the trees, but the squirrels are getting to them quickly, he said.

'I think it lends itself to a good hunt - bears are going to be finding those baits,' Rusch said. 'I think we're going to have a good year. We've got good bear numbers out there.'

Rusch noted that water levels in the area are low, which could affect bear hunters who access their hunting sites via water.