MADISON – Wildlife managers have established a harvest quota of 2,650 black bears for the 2007 season. A total of 4,405 black bear harvest permits were available for the Sept. 5 through Oct. 9 black bear hunting seasons.
“The 2006 black bear season was very successful,” says Linda Olver, assistant deer and bear ecologist, “and the 2007 Wisconsin black bear season looks to be just as promising.”
Hunters harvested 3,068 black bears in 2006, with a hunter success rate over 71 percent. Bayfield, Price, and Sawyer counties recorded the highest harvests. Bear Management Zone A led the state with 968 bears harvested, followed by A1 with 829, B with 626, and C with 639 (6 from “unknown” zone). Several large bears weighing more than 500 pounds were harvested in 2006 and a significant number of hunters reported multiple sightings of bears.
The Department of Natural Resources, UW-Madison, and the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association are in the second year of a two-year mark-recapture study for estimating Wisconsin’s black bear population. The success of this study relies upon tooth and rib samples submitted from each hunter-harvested bear. Letters with sample collection instructions will be mailed to all hunters eligible to receive a Class A Permit.
“If you harvest a bear this season, please follow the directions carefully, collect the tooth and rib sample prior to registering your bear, and leave the samples with the bear registration station,” Olver says. “Data from this study will help us to maintain a strong and healthy black bear population in Wisconsin and assure a sustainable harvest quota of this great game species.”
Hunters are also asked to turn in any ear tags found on their bear at the time it is registered. The ear tags indicate the bear has been previously captured and released. The most likely reason for capture was the bear was causing a nuisance but bears are also tagged during winter den surveys and with other research projects.
2007 Wisconsin black bear season:
• Zone C where dogs are not permitted: Sept. 5 – Oct. 9
• Zones A, A1, and B where dogs are permitted: Sept. 5 - 11 (with aid of dogs only)
• Sept. 12 – Oct. 2 (with aid of hounds, bait, and other methods)
• Oct. 3 - 9 (with aid of bait and with other methods not utilizing dogs)
Detailed information on bear hunting in Wisconsin is available on Wisconsin bear hunting web page of the DNR Web site: [http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/wildlife/hunt/bear/index.htm].
Note: Zone A1 may (pending legislative approval) be renamed to Zone D beginning with the 2008 season. Hunters will no longer be able to hunt in Zone A1 if they possess a permit for Zone A, so keep this in mind when applying for 2008 permits. The deadline to apply for 2008 bear hunting permits is Dec. 10, 2007.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Olver, assistant DNR deer and bear ecologist – (608) 261-7588
Bear Forecasts by DNR Region
Northern Region
Another healthy black bear population awaits successful tag holders in our primary bear range in Northern Wisconsin. Summer and early fall forage will vary by locale due to regional differences in moisture. In many areas, we are dealing with some drought like conditions which will affect soft mast production. We expect another great year of bear hunting with high success rates. As in the past, high success rates can be attributed to those hunters who do good pre-season scouting, have alternate hunting locations arranged well ahead of time, and most importantly really stick it out.
Northeast Region
The Zone B bear population continues to be healthy and productive. Bear hunters in Zone B have enjoyed good success in recent years. Late spring frosts and scattered areas of low rainfall have affected berry production in some portions of northeast Wisconsin. Reduced availability of soft mast might help bring bears in to bait stations. Hound hunters will go first in 2007.
In Zone C, the bear population continues to thrive and expand. Large bears are harvested every year in this Zone. Public land hunting opportunities are more limited in this portion of the region, so hunters with a Zone C tag should consider contacting private landowners early to establish a place to hunt. Running bears with hounds is not legal during the harvest season in Zone C.
West Central Region
Except for the extreme northeast corner of Chippewa County, all 19 counties in the West Central Region lie within Bear Management Zone C. This means that even though bear dogs can be trained in this zone, bear hunters cannot use dogs during the hunting season. Zone C has the longest hunting season of all four zones, starting Sept. 5 and running through Oct. 9.
Last year’s Zone C harvest was 639 bears. This number is significantly higher than 2005 harvest of 488 bears and near the quota of 600. The 2007 Zone C quota will remain at 600. This translates into a permit level of 1,560, compared to 1,510 in 2006. Bear sightings and harvest data indicate that Zone C bears appear to be continuing their southward range expansion and the population remains healthy.
