Table Of Content

i^^9Si< -?^^' ^%-fi8&-.. ,^«>^^'y?«*'. ^-^v' V' vi ?l la --^CV^ •¥1 »«««^^ >*«' ^'*>^*J **«^;' /^•*>. ''V'** Z-^' 3'C. ^j-y v^ t-^A ^i ^.^^' *<: . "if> \ ss*-.--:'^> si.5^< -r >#% V * •• '**.-' • •*^*-'s . » Let's Get The Fact Column Director's William LWoodfin, Jr. hebear lationsinVirgirua?Thatiswhat regionalpopulationdensitylev- hasa we'reseekingtodiscoverinour elsandassessinputsaffectingthe uniqueplace workintheCooperativeAl- population,suchasnutrition, inAmerican leghanyBearStudy(CABS).The timbermanagement,hunting, cultureasthe CodeofVirginiachargestheDe- andthedogtrainingseason.We warmest, partmentofGameandInland feelwealreadyhaveevidence cuddliest Fisheriestoconductoperations thatshowsthepopulationisnot predatorin forthepreservationandpropa- onlyresilientinadaptingtoavail- thewoods. gationofgameanimalsand ablehabitats,butthatthepopula- Bearshavebeentheelemental otherwildlife,toincrease,re- tionisresponsivetoconservation drivingforceinstoriesabout plenishandrestockthelandsof managementandisinfactex- campersfearingtheymightbe theCommonwealth.Weare panding. eatenbytheanimals,andtheir doingpreciselythatinCABS. HereattheDepartment,we likenessintheformofstuffed Thisambitiousstudyisex- understandthathardscientific toyshasfordecadesbeena pectedtobelong-livedandfar- dataisnotthefirstthingthat perennialfavoriteofyoungchil- reachinginitsimplications.It comestomindwhensomeone drenandadultcollectors.The wUllastforseveralyears,andit mentionsbears. However,forthe bearisfearedasanuncontrol- willfocusontwoareasofVir- sakeofthebearsandthosewho lableman-eaterbutlovedand ginia;AugustaandRockingham takeapersonalinterestinthem, cuddledasaTeddyBear. counties,inthecentralShenan- weareopenlyandenergetically What'swrongwiththese doahValley,andCraigandGiles seekingtheobjectivedatathat pictures? countiesinsouthwesternVir- willadduptoanaccurateand Foronething,wedonot ginia.Bycloselystudyingthedy- truthfulpictureoftheblackbear haveman-eatingbearsinVir- namicsoftheblackbearpopula- populationsinVirginia. ginia,andhaven't,atleastnotin tionsinthesetwoareas,our PrimaryfundingforCABS recordedhistory.Thereareno wildlifemanagerswillbeableto comesfromVDGIF,butseveral grizzliesinVirginia.Asfaras evaluateandpredictpopulation othercontributorsarealsopartof cuddlygoes,anyonewhoun- trendsformoreeffectiveman- theresearcheffort. derstandsthetruenatureof agementofVirginiablackbears. Onefinalnote.Becauseofthe wildlifeknowsthatthewrong Doingscienceinthewildre- mildmannerednatureofVirginia kindofhumancontactmaynot quiresdedicationandfortitude. blackbears,weoffersomeadvice onlybetroublesomeforhu- Thedatagatheredbytireless tothosewhomightmakevisual mans,likegettingbittenbyan CABSresearcherswillhelpus contactwithoneoftheselargean- animalyoushouldnotbetrying developanimprovedmethodof imals. Whatshouldyoudonext topet,butcanalsobeextremely modeling,monitoringandesti- timeyouseeablackbear?Don't disruptiveanddamagingforthe matingbearpopulations;the panic.Grabacameraandtake animalitself. datawillyieldage-specificbirth pictures,lotsofthem. Because Puttingasideeverythingbut anddeathrates,aswellasthe bearsareextremelysecretive,it realscience,whatarethehard overalltrendsinthepopulation. maybeyouronlyopportunity. factsabouttheblackbearpopu- Thedatawillalsotellusabout ^^:'^,i*f^ -^ V IRGINIA Bill Lea WILDLIFE Cover:Americanblackbear,(Ursusamericanm); photobeBillLea Backcover: JerryBlank,wildlifebiologistassistant, workingadentree;photobyDwightDyke. Features 4 AHistoryofBlackBearinVirginia byDennisMartin Usedforfoodaridclothing byearlyVirginians,theblackbearwas alsoasymbolofcourage,strengthanduisdom. NaturalHistoryoftheBlackBearbyAdamVashon DwighcDyke 10 BlackBearHabitatManagementinVirginia page 10 byAlBourgeois,DavidKockaandScottKlinger Witftalittlework,tfieblackbear'sImbitatneedscanbemetin manyVirginiaforests. 15 ProblemBlackBearsbyDennisMartin Notallbearsremainsecretiveandsolitary,particularlywhen thereisaneasymealtobehad. 20 Virginia'sBlackBearHarvest byDennisMartin HanestdatahasallowedtheDepartmenttofinetune hearhuntingseasons. 22 BlackBearResearchinVirginia byMichaelR.Vaughan PastandfuturestudiesofVirginia'sbruins SurvivaloftheHarvestedBearPopulationbyJenniferHiggins ADayintheLifeofRadioTelemetryfromtheGround byKimNeedham BlackBears:MyfirstchoiceinresearchbyCaleGodfrey 32 CABS:ATrulyCooperativeManagementStudy byDavidE.Steffen SepteiiiberJournal 32 News Dedicatedto the Conservation ofVirginia's WildlifeandNaturalResources VOLUME NUMBER 56 9 K4 £^V*l1 #•%: \\ "^n M :- -*« :^"^v5 "=^!%?f- 'i^-C 2«K VK -j**.^ A HISTORY OF BLA bEAR Ih byDennis Martin the black bear was second only to as ornaments. The meat was de- white-tailed deer in importance to scribed as good, and the Indian theIndiansinthesoutheasternUnit- often hunted bears in the winter Jft ccounts of black bears ed States. During this period the while they were denning. Bear fat prior to and during settle- tidewater,piedmontand mountain- was perhaps the most important ment of North America ous areas ofVirginia were occupied portion of the bear carcass; it was canofferinsightintothedistribution bytheAlgonquian,Sioux,Cherokee used as butter, body and hair oil, and use of this valuable, renewable andIroquoianpeoples. and as a component of the body resource. There is some historic in- Native Americans used bears paint often used by many Indian formation, but not much scientific and other wildlife for many valu- tribes. The flesh was often believed data about bear populations in pre- able commodities. Bear skins were to be a symbol of courage, strength colonialtimes.Weknowblackbears madeintoheavywinterrobes, moc- orwisdom. wereimportantintheUfeoftheIndi- casins and blankets. Twisted bear When discovered by the first an during this period. It was gut was made into durable bow- settlers ofeastern Virginia, the Indi- thought by some early writers that strings. Teeth and claws were used an culture was based on hunting, VIRGINIAWILDLIFE which could have fed on grasses,forbs,smallrodents, andsoftmast-Ukeberries. The earliest recorded de- scription of the bear in the southeastern United States was written in the 1580's by Thomas Hariot who provided insight into therolebearsplayedin settling North Caroli- na.Theblackbearsup- plied the colonial hunter with excellent qualitymeat,according to Hariot, and when pursued, the bearwould climb a treeand could beeasilytaken. Following colonization the set- tlerscopiedmanyoftheagricultur- al practices ofthe Indians. Hunting andlivestocksuppliedthemeatand A protein in their diet. considerable Range of the black bear in North America during Colonial times Present day range of the black bear fishing, and agriculture. The de- into Pennsylva- scriptions of precolonial forests nia.Onewriteres- make them sound park-like, with timated that there open areas and stands of mature were 817,000 acres of trees.Openingsintheseforestswere open land in precolonial Vir- often maintained by frequent fires ginia. It is interesting to note setbythe Indians perhaps for hunt- thatasoldfieldswerewornout, ingorforprotectionfromotherIndi- new ones were cleared to re- an tribes, to create food such as place them. These openings at- berriesorothersoftmast,orforagri- tracted deer, elk and buffalo culture. and were favorite hunting Left:Densevegetation,animportantsourceofbearfoodand Large tracts of land were kept grounds for the Indian. These cover,wasinshortsupplywhen Virginiawasfirstsettled. open; the largest perhaps being re- openings would also have at- NativeAmericansandEuropeansettlersusedbearsforfood, ferredtoas"TheBarrens,"whichex- tracted the omnivorous feed- fAobootvweea:r,Thheatos,ribgliannakletrsa,ngbeowofsbtlraicnkgsbeaanrdshwaastecrharenpgeeldlasnitncoiels. tended fromtheShenandoahValley ing habits of the black bear recordswerefirstkept.MapgraphicsbyPels. SEPTEMBER 1995 numberofbearswerereportedaround John James Audubon, 1785- deadfalls were often used. Some Jamestown, the DismalSwamp and 1851,theAmericanornithologist,ar- eastern settlers set traps with guns manyareasofthePiedmont.Oneac- rived in the U.S. in 1803 and began primed for firing; as the bear took count reported that "the bear was extensiveobservationsofbothbirds thebait(oftena liveowl) astringat- important to settlers ofwesternVir- and mammals. In his Viviparous tached to the trigger fired the gun ginia, and many of the written re- Quadrupeds of North America (1842- kiUingthebear. ports from this region mentioned 46) he describes both a black bear Bearswerelistedamongtheani- thetakingofbearsforfoodorskins. and a cinnamon bear which he felt mals shipped to markets from the George Washington detailed Major were the sarrie species. Others indi- railyardsatStaunton. Frontiersmen AndrewLewisandhismentoattack catedtheyweredifferentspeciesbe- considered bear meat to be the best Indian towns along the Ohio River; causetheirrangeswerenotidentical available with raccoon running a Above:Bearseatawiderangeoffood,includingtendergrass,berries,carrion,insects,acorns, andothertreefruits.Right:Mostoccupiedhearhabitatisin themountainouscountiesandin the GreatDismalSwampRefuge. Virginia'sblackhearpopulationmayheexpanding;therehavebeen frequentsightingsin thePiedmont.MapgraphicshyPels. in their pursuit of the Indians they and the cinnamon bear had "much closesecond. left a site near the present town of finer, thickerand longerhair, with a Colonists also used thebear for Salem,Virginiaandinthevicinityof greaterproportionoffurmixedwith sleigh-robes, caps or hats and as a TazewellCountytheykilledthreeor it." Thereareno known—records ofa comfortable bed. Bears were some- four bears. This was in February of brow—nphaseblackbear cinnamon times kept as pets in some heavily 1756. A settler named James Burke bear inVirginia,althoughtheyare populatedareas. moved with his family into what is commoninthewest,andatleastone Bears eata widerangeoffoods, nowBurke'sGarden,TazeweUCoun- was reported in recent years in and early farmers withinblackbear ty,in 1754. Duringthenextyearhere- Pennsylvania. range experienced crop and live- portedlykilledalargenumberofbears Astheinteriorandwesternpor- stock damage, similar to today. andbroughttheskmsbackwithhim. tions ofthenewworld were settled, Bears occasionally feed on pigs, Thus it appears that during the colo- both color phases, which are now cows or calves. Furthermore, corn nialperiod,bearsweregenerallyplen- consideredonespecies(Ursusameri- has often been the target of bears. tiful and were found in all regions of canus),weretrappedandtheirhides Early naturalists indicated that a thestate." traded. Leg-hold traps and large largepartofthebears'dietwasmast VIRGINIAWILDLIFE (nuts andberries) and honey or lar- NAIURALHiSTORiror vae in bee trees. Bears were fre- quentlyseencatchingfishand cray- fish, and feeding on roots and Buck berries. Audubon described hunt- ..iVE BEAR ingbears incornfields usinghorses, and the "cur-dogs" of the planta- tions. A decrease in the number of bears in more settled areas was reported during the 19th century but thebear population in swamps and other lands unsuitable for cultiva- tion, seemed to increase. At the end of the postcolonial period black bears were plentiful in the moun- tains and in the Great Dismal Swamp, however the bear population had been severely reduced in most of tidewater and piedmont Virginia. Early Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' (VDGIF) researchers indicated that the bear originally ranged throughout Virginia, but that by the 1950's the range was restricted to 180 square miles around the Dismal Swampand4,116squaremilesinthe mountainous western counties. This equaled 10.8% ofthe total land area. Today, 11,287 square miles of forestedrange,whichis28.4% ofthe totalland inthestate, arewithinthe bear hunting counties, and are thought to be occupied bear range. A 1957 VDGIF report estimated the bearpopulationtobe 1,102animals, compared to the current estimate of between 3,500 and 4,500 bears statewide. Fortunately, our predecessors foresawtheneedtomanageanduse our wildlife wisely. By developing improved land management practices, hunting regulations, informa- AwhiteblazeonthechestofVirginia'sblackbears tainodn ignavtehnetroriyn)g,swyisldtleimfse m(arensaegaerrcsh byAdamVashon ibslanzoetiassmcoormemcoonmmasoninionthseorutshtaetaesst.erInnbVeiarrgsintihaa,ntihne have provided great benefits to the mountainpopulations. black bear and many other wildlife The species in theCommonwealth. This American black bear three feet high and weigh 100-400 historical perspective provides a (Ursus americanus) was pounds. Its fur is uniform black ex- foundation of knowledge on which once found throughout cept for a brown muzzle, and some to provide effective bear manage- North America. Today, it is stiU the bears may have a V-shaped white mentdecisions. D most common and widespread blaze across their chests. They walk speciesofbearinNorthAmerica. on their entire foot, as humans do, Dennis Martin is the state black bear and Typicallycompact,heavy-struc- and have curved non-retractable furbearerprogrammanagerworkingoutofthe tured animals, adult male black clawswhichallowthemtocUmbtrees VeronaRegionalOfficenearStaunton. bears are fiveto six feetlong, two to withremarkableeaseanddexterity. SEPTEMBER 1995 fortheadultfemale are generally hard mast consisting who travels with of acorns, hickory nuts, and beech- heroffspring. Black nuts.Blackbearsareknowntotravel bearseatawideva- extensively in search ofthese foods, riety of foods, and evenoutoftheirnormalrange. to some people's In years when mast crops are surprise, they com- abundant, black bears can gain monly live strictly weight rapidly. In late summer and onvegetablematter fall subadults and females can gain formanymonthsof approximately one-half pound per the year. Actually, daywhileadultmalescangainupto blackbearseatboth two pounds per day. Inyears when plant and animal mastcropsfail,itiscommonfornui- matter which sance complaints of black bears to makes them om- increase,duetotheneed forfinding mvorous. alternatefoodsources. Top:Notallblackbearsareblackincolor;colorvariationslikethebrown or "cinnamon"phaseofblackbeararecommonin manywesternstates, buttheyarenotknown tooccurin Virginia.Above:Grizzlybears, usuallymuchlargerthan blackbears,donotoccurin Virginia. Outsideof CanadaandAlaska,grizzlybearsarerestrictedtoisolatedpopulationsin afewwesternstates.Right:Brownphaseblackhearscanoftenbehorn to acompletelyblacksow. Colorphasesexistinblackbears Black bears and includebrown, white andblue. are also termed Thebrownphase,knownasthecin- "opportunistic" namonbear,isfoundtypicallyinthe in their feeding western United States, but not in habits; that is, Virginia. they will readily Wemustdistinguishblackbears feed on the from otherspecies. The grizzlybear foods that are (Ursus arctos) is indeed different easily available from the black bear. Grizzlies are to them. In the considerably larger, over six feet spring, they will long, three and one-half feet high consume grass- andcanweighupto850pounds. es, forbs, and other plants until soft Fall is the most crucial feeding Blackbearsarechieflynocturnal mast, such as berries, become pre- time for black bears. It is this time animals (active during nighttime sent in the summer months. Exam- when they must put on the weight hours), although daytime move- ples of summertime foods include that they will rely on to carry them ments do occur frequently. These serviceberries,pincherries,blueber- through the cold winter months of animalsaretypicallysolitary,except ries, and huckleberries. Fall foods thedenningseason. 8 VIRGINIA WILDLIFE Winteris knowntobe a serious Adult females will give birth to threat to black bears. Extreme cold an average of one to three (maxi- conditions canlimitfood and create mum of six observed) cubs during greatenergyexpenditures.Winteris late January to early February. A also the time when pregnant fe- cub'seyesopenin25to30daysafter males give birth to their young. birth. Bear cubs are weaned in Au- Pregnant females are under addi- gust, but will remain with their tionalnutritionalstress,becausenot mother for another year and den only do they have to give birth, but with her the following winter. In they also must continue to produce June andJuly ofthenextyear, adult milk without consuming any food females will force their young to or water. The ability to withstand leave when the mating season be- long periods without food or water gins. makes black bears physiologically Reproduction in black bears is unique from other mammals. extremelylow,thesecondlowestre- Though they do not technically hi- production of any land mammal in ranges ofblack bears can vary con- siderablydependingonage, habitat type, sex, season, and population density.Anadultmale'shomerange is approximately 15 square miles, andanadultfemale'shomerangeis approximately 10 square miles. Home ranges of black bears must provide food, water, den sites, and adequateconcealment. Adultfemalesusuallywilltoler- atetheiroffspringwithintheirhome range up to a year after family breakup. Subadult males will dis- perse to a new home range, while subadult females will usually stay and occupya portion oftheirmoth- er's home range. If the mother should die, the open home range likely will be filled by the younger female. Interestingly, ranges ofboth sexesinallagescanoverlap,butspe- cificareasarerarelyusedsimultane- ously. As an example, young male bearswillalmostalwaysavoidolder males. Black bears demonstrate capa- Above:BLkk bearsdenfromaboutNovember bilities matched by no other mam- bernate,theirbodytemperatureand throughAprilandwilloften restattheden mal. Their great ability to overcome heart rate slightly decreases, while entranceasweatherimproves. adverse conditions and adapt to normal body functions such as uri- Rarieghcto:mMmio7n2oarncdonufsruoanltlaytiuonnesvebnettfwuele.nHsoibwleivngesr changing situations is most likely nation and defecation cease com- injuriescanoccurwhen malescompetefor why they are able to occupy such a pletely. Thesemechanismswillcon- territoryormatingprivileges. wide and diverse geographic area D tinue throughout the winter and throughoutthecountry. earlyspring,andasaresult,extreme North America. Female black bears weight loss can occur. When bears are typically three to five years old Adam Vashon is employed by VPI& SU leave the den in early spring, food by their first successful litter, and asafidl-tunefieldtechnicianfortheCoop- availability is limited and they may produce only one litter every two erativeAlleghany Bear Study. Hegradu- continue to lose weight. Once sum- years. atedfrom the UniversityofMainein Au- mwtueeailrglhytfisnocboredegasisen.bteocstoambielizaevaanidlaebvleen,- qkuneonTwthnseanstohirtrmsoa"ulhgrohamoneguetraatnnghaeen.i"ymeHaalorfmreie-s gasiugnsectmeeoMnfta1.y99H139e9w3ih.tahsabBe.eSn. winitWhildtlhiefeprMoajenc-t SEPTEMBER 1995 m^ ''''^.TifSi Since 1938, the Virginia Depart- ment ofGame and Inland Fish- eries (VDGIF)andtheU. S. For- est Service have been cooperatively managing the wildlife resources of theNationalForestsinVirginia. The current Revised Management Plan for the combined George Washing- ton and Jefferson National Forests places increased emphasis on habitats for black bear and associated species. TheCooperativeAlleghany Left:Fruitsoftreesandshrubsareimportantbear BearStudy (CABS) ispartoftheon- foods. Althoughconsideredacarnivore,themajority going research being conducted by ofthedietofablackbearisvegetation. theVDGIFandtheForestService. fTeoepd:inBgeaarresasp,reafnerdhsehaadvey.unAdreerasstoorfihesarfvoersetsecdatpiemcboevrer, Bearsaresecretiveanimals,pre- canofferthistypeofhabitat. ferringlargeforestedareasandnttle Above:VDGIFDirector William Woodfin(right)am human contact, but we need to dis- George WashingtonNationalForestactingsupervisor pel the myth that unmanaged SteveParsonsdiscusstheCooperativeAlleghanyBear forests and "wilderness areas" are Study. theonlyhabitatusedbyblackbears. InmanagingVDGIFand ForestSer- aremetinforestswithadiversityof vice lands, the bear's basic habitat tree species and age classes. For ex- needs offood, cover and protection ample, bears thrive in habitats that VIRGINIAWILDLIFE