To date, teeth have been collected from 431 gun kills, 427 bow kills, and 92 nonseasonal deaths—a total of 950 of 1,496 mortalities.  With an additional 28 mortalities as known age animals, age information can be determined from 65% of 2002 mortalities.

 

Tooth samples from 2001 comprised 64% of the total harvest and have been aged with hunters notified.  Combined bow and gun kills showed 270 (35%) yearlings (compared to 53% in 2000), 273 (35%) two-year-olds (18% in 2000), and 234 (30%) three years or older (29% in 2000).  The large number of two-year-olds reflects the high cub production in 1999.  Males still account for higher proportions of young bears killed—80% of yearlings were boars and 68% of two-year-olds were males. rt of his Masters Degree research project.

Written by William K. Igo and Thomas L. Dotson