Hunters in Wisconsin kill fewer bears in 2011Hunters killed about 10% to 20% fewer bears in the 2011 Wisconsin hunting season, according to a preliminary report from the Department of Natural Resources.
The uncertainty is due to a substantial number of incomplete registration forms, said Linda Olver, assistant deer and bear biologist.
The DNR received 4,064 complete bear harvest forms and tissue samples. Several hundred other registrations were received with tooth and rib samples but no harvest registration form.
The DNR requested the tissue samples as part of a bear population study.
As a result, the DNR lists 4,508 as the "expanded kill" total.
In either case, the 2011 harvest will fall short of the record 5,133 bears registered by hunters in 2010.
Olver said the department was investigating the reason for the incomplete registration paperwork and would likely come up with a modified process for 2012.
The DNR had issued a record 9,005 kill permits for the 2011 season. State wildlife managers estimate the Wisconsin bear population at 25,000 to 40,000, one of the largest populations of the species in the nation.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/hunters-in-wisconsin-kill-fewer-bears-this-year-sf3404g-134187528.html
