If you ask today, the most accurate answer is "A lot". In the near future, that answer will be much more precise. The state Fish and Game Commission is setting out bear bait - balls of bacon swabbed with bacon fat, placed securely 10 feet up on tree trunks.
They come back in a few weeks to see if a bear has taken the bait. Marks on the tree from claws will let them distinguish between birds, raccoon, squirrels, cougar and bears taking the bait. The bait is laced with tetracycline, which will leave a distinctive ring on a bear's tooth. If a hunter kills a bear, or if one is killed by other means (vehicle accident, law enforcement, animal control) the tooth is to be extracted and sent to the Fish and Game Commission.
In a given area, there will be a known number of bears that take the laced bait. In that same area, a random sample of bears is obtained by the tooth collection. From that, the percentage of bears with a tetracycline ring is determined. Once you know how many bears took the bait, and have a good sampling of the percentage of bears with the tetracycline ring, simple math tells just how many bears there are. Example - say there are 70 bears that took the bait, and 10 percent of the teeth have the tetracycline ring. That equates to 700 bears in that area. Pretty cool way to establish the bear population, huh?
How do I know this? I spoke with a pair of Fish and Game folks who were setting out bait. The bait below is about 200 yards from where I am camped.
Oh - they also said there are a lot of cougars in the area. I am now carrying my bear spray on hikes again.
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3 comments:
I just saw my first bear of the season about 1/2 mile from one of the campgrounds I am hosting. I guess I also need to get out my bear spray.
Use wasp spray vs bear spray. You have a longer distance from said bear with the wasp spray and more direct shot. I have seen bears play with bear spray, they act like cats do to with catnip.
Well, Rangers and Wildlife management people disagree. I think you are thinking about pepper spray. Bear spray comes in a canister about 1.5" in diameter, about 8" long, has a range of 30 feet, and has been shown to stop grizzlies in their tracks. Further, once a bear has been hit with it, just seeing a canister will usually stop them. In real bear country such as parts of the Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier you will not see a ranger without it, and you will not see a Ranger carrying wasp spray.
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