Bears are bigger killers than thought

[NCC]

Here's an interesting read from Science by Joshua Rapp Learn. I copied the meat of the report, the rest of the study is worth Googling.


By carefully analyzing the most gruesome footage, the researchers were also able to identify the bears’ prey. More than half of their meals came from moose or caribou calves, whereas vegetation made up nearly 20%, and adult moose made up just over 12%, they report this month in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. But there were also some unusual items on the menu: snowshoe hares, swans, and even other brown bears. In one case, a 10-year-old male killed—and ate—a 6-year-old female bear.

Overall, the bears killed an average of 34.4 moose and caribou calves over 45 days. That’s far higher than average kill rates from previous studies using other methods, including aerial observation. Compared with one 1988 study in which scientists counted an average of 5.4 moose calf kills from the air in a different part of Alaska, the new study found an average of 13.3 moose calf kills. The new study also found wide variation in the number of calves killed by any one bear, with one killing 44 calves in 25 days and another killing just seven in 27 days.


One of the many reasons that the ungulates are vanishing from the foothills. The video data also captured a 10 year old boar killing and eating a 6 year old sow.

[Talking moose]

Black bears kill more calves than people think. In Newfoundland they kill a lot.

[cowmanbob]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Black bears kill more calves than people think. In Newfoundland they kill a lot.

I came across this one time. A sow standing over a freshly killed moose calf and two cubs up a tree and an enraged cow moose in the river bottom. This and a few other experiences made my saddle horse a bit anti-moose

[Flight01]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Black bears kill more calves than people think. In Newfoundland they kill a lot.

Yep. Some areas have a very high calf mortality due to bears. The area where I hail from has very little black bear hunters. Not a lot of people bother with it. I tell them shot a bear and enjoy the roasts. And enjoy more moose eventually if you and your friends do your part. No FN hunting rights it Newfoundland and no wolves. Manage your bear numbers and you manage your ungulates

Random clip of the reality we rarely see.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QDEW-nIg844

[elkdump]

Moose in Newfie-land are the highest density of moose in the world ,,,

And bears will eat some moose, there are no wolves in Newfie-land so the bears have the moose all to themselves,,

GO Newfie Bears

[wildbill]

Originally Posted by NCC

Here's an interesting read from Science by Joshua Rapp Learn. I copied the meat of the report, the rest of the study is worth Googling.


By carefully analyzing the most gruesome footage, the researchers were also able to identify the bears’ prey. More than half of their meals came from moose or caribou calves, whereas vegetation made up nearly 20%, and adult moose made up just over 12%, they report this month in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. But there were also some unusual items on the menu: snowshoe hares, swans, and even other brown bears. In one case, a 10-year-old male killed—and ate—a 6-year-old female bear.

Overall, the bears killed an average of 34.4 moose and caribou calves over 45 days. That’s far higher than average kill rates from previous studies using other methods, including aerial observation. Compared with one 1988 study in which scientists counted an average of 5.4 moose calf kills from the air in a different part of Alaska, the new study found an average of 13.3 moose calf kills. The new study also found wide variation in the number of calves killed by any one bear, with one killing 44 calves in 25 days and another killing just seven in 27 days.


One of the many reasons that the ungulates are vanishing from the foothills. The video data also captured a 10 year old boar killing and eating a 6 year old sow.

Ungulates ain't disappearing in the South West corner, if anything their populations are ballooning out of control, friends and a cousin down South here who ranch can confirm this, the herds are growing, and if they (SRD) ain't careful they'll have another Suffield on their hands.

[coachman]

Study in Saskatchewan from a few years ago stated up to 60% of calves. A reason to hunt black bears?

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by wildbill

Ungulates ain't disappearing in the South West corner, if anything their populations are ballooning out of control, friends and a cousin down South here who ranch can confirm this, the herds are growing, and if they (SRD) ain't careful they'll have another Suffield on their hands.

Landowners are part of the problem, there are too many who don't allow hunters, especially if they have a bull tag.

[wildbill]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Landowners are part of the problem, there are too many who don't allow hunters, especially if they have a bull tag.

I know some who, well, would really like to see them reduced. If you had 150 head eating up your livelihood you'd probably want something done as well.

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by wildbill

I know some who, well, would really like to see them reduced. If you had 150 head eating up your livelihood you'd probably want something done as well.

Yes that is true, but my experience was that the herd did not reach their property until hunting season was over. Their neighbor's property was harboring the hay thieves, but we could not get permission.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Black bears kill more calves than people think. In Newfoundland they kill a lot.

Not too many predators capable of taking down a moose in Newfoundland. They aren't a native species, and introduced just over 100 years ago. Goes to show how a population of moose can take off from a low number.

[Newview01]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

Not too many predators capable of taking down a moose in Newfoundland. They aren't a native species, and introduced just over 100 years ago. Goes to show how a population of moose can take off from a low number.

Why / how were they introduced?

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

Not too many predators capable of taking down a moose in Newfoundland.

Nor the camrose/Stettler area.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Why / how were they introduced?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Why / how were they introduced?

from what i understand, they brought over a breeding pair in the late 1800's. A "pair" is kind of like Adam and Eve, not possible. That failed and in 1903/1904, they brought more and a couple of breeding pairs survived. I don't know the whole history, but when there's not a whole lot of predators, survival rates are high. All I know is that there's probably a moose for every 4 people on the island. Biggest predators at the moment is hunters and vehicles.

There is a reason why moose are called speed bumps.

[Newview01]

Interesting. Any big ones there?

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by Newview01

Interesting. Any big ones there?

Oh yeah! Lots of old bulls kicking around. My uncle had a 23 point bull rack hanging on the gable of his garage for years. Lot of mighty tasty ones too. There's alot of prime real estate in Newfoundland for moose. It was a good introduction, but they really need to be culled. Need to give out more licenses to hunters in reality, lots could use the freezer full of meat.

They built fencing across most of the island, but it's not protecting traffic.

[silverdoctor]

I will tell you, I grew up on Newfoundland and maritime beef, it's good - bloody good. But I will freely say, the first time I put a piece of rare Alberta Angus beef in my mouth, wow was all I could say.

Moose and caribou out of the Maritimes and Newfoundland and Labrador can't be beat. I don't care if it's BBQ'd, fried, baked or canned, it's incredible. Old moose do get gamey, I really don't give a...

[Bub]

I remember talking to a local at Trout River, NL some years ago and she said that once on the way back from the movies, which happens to be over 100 km away (I do not remember the exact distance, but I think the "big" city was Corner Brook), she counted seventy some moose! I never believed her and still do not. We have been there for five days, I think, and have not seen a single one It was like curse, to be honest. Her husband told quite some stories too, which my friends and I still laugh about. Good times. Beautiful place! Wonderful people! Hope that was not the last time I was in the area.

P.S. We were at Cape Breton after that for a few days and have not seen a single moose there either

[Big Grey Wolf]

Guys, this is why you will see many what we use to call "Dry Moose Cows" The bears have eaten all their calves, many moose will drop a pair of calves and end up with none by the fall. More of us trappers need to shoot our 6 black bears per year we are allowed on our RFMA's to save the ungulate population in Alberta.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

Black bears kill more calves than people think. In Newfoundland they kill a lot.

I never really gave this much thought, always thought the wolves were the biggest takers but have read more and more about BB taking the young. In my WMU the moose pops were ok, never expanding but always held. Then some wicked winters and exploding wolf packs took their toll.

Been slim picking for moose sightings the last few years, i am beginning to think it's the BB that are keeping the pop down now as we have somewhat less wolf sign and had 3 great animal friendly winters now.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by Sooner

I never really gave this much thought, always thought the wolves were the biggest takers but have read more and more about BB taking the young. In my WMU the moose pops were ok, never expanding but always held. Then some wicked winters and exploding wolf packs took their toll.

Been slim picking for moose sightings the last few years, i am beginning to think it's the BB that are keeping the pop down now as we have somewhat less wolf sign and had 3 great animal friendly winters now.

Wolves were wiped out in Newfoundland by the early 1900's. There is talk about wolf/coyote hybrids being found lately so there's likely a small population somewhere. Wouldn't be enough to have an impact. I would assume a pack of yotes would tackle a moose tho.

[CMichaud]

Couldn't resist!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POYRGlXdo4E

[jrowan]

Originally Posted by NCC

Here's an interesting read from Science by Joshua Rapp Learn. I copied the meat of the report, the rest of the study is worth Googling.


By carefully analyzing the most gruesome footage, the researchers were also able to identify the bears’ prey. More than half of their meals came from moose or caribou calves, whereas vegetation made up nearly 20%, and adult moose made up just over 12%, they report this month in the Wildlife Society Bulletin. But there were also some unusual items on the menu: snowshoe hares, swans, and even other brown bears. In one case, a 10-year-old male killed—and ate—a 6-year-old female bear.

Overall, the bears killed an average of 34.4 moose and caribou calves over 45 days. That’s far higher than average kill rates from previous studies using other methods, including aerial observation. Compared with one 1988 study in which scientists counted an average of 5.4 moose calf kills from the air in a different part of Alaska, the new study found an average of 13.3 moose calf kills. The new study also found wide variation in the number of calves killed by any one bear, with one killing 44 calves in 25 days and another killing just seven in 27 days.


One of the many reasons that the ungulates are vanishing from the foothills. The video data also captured a 10 year old boar killing and eating a 6 year old sow.

Anyone who watched Colbert already knew this

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by NCC

Compared with one 1988 study

1988, that's nearly 30 years ago, and it had been studied before that.

For decades before that homesteaders, trappers and hunters had been telling of seeing Bears killing ungulate calves.

It may be news to some these days but to many it's old old news.

I first heard of it when I was a kid. The first official admission of it that I saw was that 1988 study, which I read about 1990.

There is a wealth of knowledge out there that few people know exists. Partially because our school system teaches that only scientists are capable of intelligence thought and learning.

We've all heard it, anecdotal evidence treated like fiction, traditional knowledge called old wives tales, suggesting that they too are fiction.
And then there is the educated who tell people like me I don't know anything.

I still can't get anyone to take my claim that I know where there are Truffles growing wild in Alberta, seriously. Or that 60" plus Bull Moose are not all that rare.
On this very site I was torn to pieces for saying just that.

Now someone finds an old report of a study done three decades ago and it's big news.

That's the way of the educated world.

[calgarychef]

Start watching the bear droppings and you'll see lots of tiny hooves and moose hair in there.

Keg....lets go truffle hunting!

[NCC]

KegRiver, the old study (1988) said that bears didn't kill many. The new study says bears kill lots of calves.

[st99]

There was a study done in NE alberta that concluded that bears kill 50 - 70% of moose calves

The study has been posted on this forum a while ago, some other members might be able to repost it, Walking Buffalo comes to mind...

[dmcbride]

Originally Posted by st99

There was a study done in NE alberta that concluded that bears kill 50 - 70% of moose calves

The study has been posted on this forum a while ago, some other members might be able to repost it, Walking Buffalo comes to mind...

I think it was in the trapping forum??

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by NCC

KegRiver, the old study (1988) said that bears didn't kill many. The new study says bears kill lots of calves.

Not the study I saw. If I recall correctly, that study claimed up to 90 percent of Moose calves were killed by Bears.

There were a few studies done back then and to be fair they had mixed results.

My point is and was, this is not new, it's been known for a long time.

But it's good to post it for those who weren't aware that Bears are a major predator of Moose and Deer. Grizzly even take adults, and not just adult Deer, but adult Moose, Elk, Goats and Bighorn.

A little added incentive for Bear hunters.

I do get a bit frustrated with the Wolf haters on site though.
I have pointed out a number of times that Bears are as much if not more of a factor in Moose Deer and Elk populations then Wolves are, but that seems to fall on deaf ears.