Wis to cut/bear quotas

[Lee Borgersen]

       Wisconsin cuts harvest quota for bears 

Several signs indicate Wisconsin's bear population has declined in recent years.

  Madison - Record kills by hunters in recent years have reduced the black bear population in Wisconsin, prompting wildlife officials to reduce the harvest quota and the number of permits available in 2013.

Meeting Wednesday in Madison, the Natural Resources Board approved a plan to cut the bear harvest quota by 13% and issue 5% fewer kill permits.

Wildlife managers with the Department of Natural Resources had recommended the reductions based on preliminary estimates of a bear population study and data from recent hunting seasons.

"The state has a large and healthy bear population, but we cannot continue to harvest bears and issue permits at the levels that we have been," said Kevin Wallenfang, DNR big game ecologist. "Those are unsustainable levels."

The board approved a statewide harvest quota of 4,000 bears - reduced from 4,600 - and 8,560 kill permits this year. Hunters killed 4,448 bears when issued 9,015 permits in 2012.

The top four bear harvests in state history occurred in the last four years, including 4,009 bears in 2009, 5,133 in 2010 and 4,257 in 2011.

Several signs indicate Wisconsin's bear population has declined in recent years, Wallenfang said.

Preliminary results from a 2011 study show Wisconsin has a population of about 18,500 bears. A similar study in 2006, but with a higher margin of error, estimated the state's bear population between 26,000 and 40,000.

The studies utilize mark-recapture methodology: food containing tetracycline is placed in trees across the state and the number of bait sites "hit" by bears is compared with the number of hunter-harvested animals that show signs of the drug.

Hunters are asked to submit rib and tooth samples from bears they kill. Ninety-three percent complied with the request in 2012.

Other signs indicating a lower bear population include fewer bait sites hit; lower hunter success rates; and lower average age of bears harvested.

Bear kill permits are in great demand in Wisconsin. More than 106,000 applications were received for the 8,560 permits in 2013. Those who apply but don't receive a permit can collect a preference point for future hunts.

It requires as many as nine preference points (years of applying) to obtain a bear kill permit in Wisconsin.

For management purposes, the DNR divides the state into four zones. According to the preliminary 2011 population estimate, Zone A in north central Wisconsin had approximately 5,324 bears; B in the northeast had 3,178; C in the southern two-thirds of the state had 4,798; D in the northwest had 4,826.

The estimates show how bear distribution has changed in the state, Wallenfang said.

"We now have year-round bear populations in counties like Green Lake, Marquette and Waushara that we never used to manage for bears before," Wallenfang said.

For 2013, the agency has substantially reduced the harvest quotas in Zones A (down 40% from 2012) and B (down 50%) but increased them in C and D (both up 33%).

The quotas are based on multiple factors, Wallenfang said, including public tolerance for bears, agricultural damage, nuisance complaints and input from tribes and hunting groups.

The DNR recorded $309,198 in bear-caused agricultural damage in 2011, the most recent year for which data are available, up from $262,156 in 2010 and $164,754 in 2009.

A record 105 bears were killed in 2012 on agricultural damage tags. Most were killed by farmers or landowners.

During the 2012 season, 73% of bears harvested were taken by hunters using bait, 23% were killed by hunters using dogs and 4% were unknown.

Wallenfang said data from ribs and teeth collected in 2012 are being analyzed and a refined bear population estimate will be available later this year.

In addition, the DNR has started to update its bear management plan. It is expected to be completed in the next year or two.

"There will be some tweaks, I'm sure," Wallenfang said. "One thing that will remain constant is Wisconsin will continue to offer excellent bear hunting opportunities to the hunting public."

Bear hunt 2013: To receive a bear kill permit this year the DNR estimates it will take five preference points in Zone A, 9 in Zone B, 3 in Zone C and 7 in Zone D. Winners in the drawing will be notified by mail this winter and may purchase their 2013 Class A bear license beginning March 6. The 2013 bear season begins Sept. 4 and runs through Oct. 8 with hunters using dogs starting first in most zones.