Spring
Black Bear Damage Hunt in Western Washington
Balck
Bear and tree damage. |
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For
nearly 3-years hunters have heard WDFW taking about a spring
black bear hunt in western Washington. It’s been a long
process, with ample public review, including an Environmental
Impact Statement as part of the 2003-2008 Game Management
Plan. Finally, in December 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Commission
adopted a pilot spring black bear hunting season in two areas
of western Washington. The purpose of the hunt was to reduce
timber damage. As many people know, bears often peel the bark
off trees in spring to eat the nutrient rich layer underneath,
which of course damages or kills the tree. On commercial timberlands,
this can result in a sizable economic loss. Unfortunately,
there is no easy solution. Given the acreage of the damage
and number of bears involved, relocating bears is just not
a viable option. The most common practices to reduce damage
are feeding bears (to give them another food source besides
trees) and killing bears using contract hound hunters. These
options work for some landowners, but not all. Our challenge
was to see if a spring bear hunt, focused around active damage,
could help reduce timber damage without jeopardizing a healthy
bear population.
The two
areas were Capitol Forest (DNR land) and Kapowsin Tree Farm
(private forest managed by The Campbell Group). The hunt was
by permit only, and 568 hunters applied for Capitol Forest
and 690 for Kapowsin Tree Farm. One hundred hunters were randomly
selected for each area and hunters were able hunt from April
15-June 15, 2005. Hunters could not use dogs or bait, but
were given a few tips on how to locate bears near damage areas.
Capitol Forest hunters bagged 14 bears, of which 79% were
males. Kapowsin Tree Farm hunters killed 3 bears and 1 was
a male. We’re not exactly sure why hunter success was
higher in Capitol Forest, but it’s likely due to differences
in bear density, hunter effort, and road access. The harvest,
at least in Capitol Forest, does equate to a substantial increase
in total bear harvest, increasing annual harvest by about
150%. As such, WDFW and other cooperators will be monitoring
bears in the area to better understand the impacts of the
harvest to the bear population, and ultimately timber damage.
Following
the concept of a true pilot hunt, the spring bear damage season
is expected to continue for at least 2 more years, after which
the Department and landowners will assess the results and
consider continuing the program. |
