SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF ORPHANED CUBS

[MTH]

 

I've see a lot of chat on the "other site" about taking a sow during eth bow season and leaving the cubs "orphaned" and questioning the ethics involved.... Below is an excerpt from a published article on cub survival which can be viewed at: http://www.bearstudy.org/website/images/stories/Publications/Aiding_the_Wild_Survival_of_Orphaned_Bear_Cubs.pdf

 

Seems the cubs will likely be just fine.....

 

SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF ORPHANED CUBS

 

Black bear mothers normally keep their cubs for approximately 17 months (Rogers 1985). They nurse them into summer and, in some cases, again the following spring (Rogers 1985). Mothers protect their cubs, open insect-ridden logs for them, and lead them to distant feeding locations which the cubs sometimes revisit as adults (Rogers 1985). Mothers construct dens in fall and share their warmth in winter (Rogers 1985). They tolerate their independent offsprings in the maternal territory, are differently aggressive to nonkin, and thereby aid their maturing daughters in establishing adjacent territories (Rogers 1985).

 

Despite the benefits normally obtained from mothers, cubs orphaned in their first summer showed high survival in Alaska (Johnson and LeRoux 1973), northern Michigan (Erickson1959), Newfoundland (Payne 1975), and northeastern Minnesota (see below). In Alaska, a grizzly cub that was orphaned on 23 August and transported to an unfamiliar area was recovered the following year (Johnson and LeRoux 1973). In northern Michigan, Erickson (1959) released 20 orphan cubs in unfamiliar remote areas between 15 July and 29 September. Many of them had been caught accidentally by coyote bounty trappers and were injured; five had amputated feet, one had a fractured jaw, and two had lacerated feet. They varied in weight from 8 to 37 kg (average 14 kg) at the time of release. Seven of the 20, including two of the five with amputated feet (one of which weighed only 8 kg at release), were later shot or recaptured, showing that they had survived as orphans. The percentage recovered did not differ significantly from that of 12 non-orphaned cubs that were released with their mothers as controls; four of those were recovered. However, of the seven orphans that were recovered, six were recovered later in the same year, so a question remained concerning overwinter survival.

 

To learn overwinter survival rates, we gave radio collars to 14 orphaned cubs more than 7 months old in northeastern Minnesota. Of these, two cubs soon were shot, two were killed by trains, and one died of unknown causes, reducing the sample for overwinter studies to nine. All nine made dens, showing that den construction is instinctive for cubs even though their mothers normally would make dens for them. All nine survived until spring. One was killed in spring leaving eight for continued study. Of these, at least seven survived past the time they normally would leave their mothers. The radio-collar of the eighth was removed (see below).

 

However, a confounding factor in the high survival is that 11 of the 14 orphans had access to supplemental food. These were orphaned because their mothers were shot as nuisances, and the human food sources used by the mothers were available to the cubs. As a result, many of them grew more rapidly than cubs with mothers.

 

The two that grew most rapidly ate their mother's carcass in late June and then supplemented their diets with garbage. These weighed 13.2 and 17.3 kg on 23 August and weighed 17.3 and 23.6 kg when they were killed by a train on 23 September of the same year. Two orphans without supplemental food weighed 14.7 and 17.5 kg when their mother was killed on 10 August. Both survived past 3 years of age. A third without supplemental food weighed 13.2 kg when he was orphaned on 20 September He survived at least until the following 17 April when he weighed 7.7 kg. His radio-collar was removed at that time. His survival is doubtful because his weight was within the range where there is high mortality. Nine of 12 other yearlings that weighed less than 10 kg in spring died (Rogers 1983, and this paper). Altogether the data for orphaned cubs indicate that survival after July (approximately 6 months of age) is determined by more by food supply than by the presence of the mother.

 

Two orphans that ate supplemental garbage were radio-tracked to maturity. Both were females, and both took over their dead mothers' territories. However, one of them used only a small portion of her mother's territory until a neighboring female that had taken over most of it was killed (Rogers 1985). The two orphans produced their first litters at 4 and 5 years of age, as is normal for females that supplement their diets with gar garbage in northeastern Minnesota (Rogers 1985).

[Slayer1962]

It is a management hunt, the purpose is to reduce bear numbers. I have permission on private property that requires me to shoot the first bear I see. The next hunter in line then gets to hunt the property.

I am sure I would lose my spot if I get too picky. I have a bear that is like 6"6" on camera. (measured his height on a tree that it stood up by. I am 6"2" and he was higher than me.

I want that big bear but will not lose my spot.

[MTH]

Note the following passage that pretty much sums up the New Jersey situation:

 

 

A confounding factor in the high survival is that 11 of the 14 orphans had access to supplemental food. These were orphaned because their mothers were shot as nuisances, and the human food sources used by the mothers were available to the cubs. As a result, many of them grew more rapidly than cubs with mothers.

[Bucksnbows]

I wanted to post on "Canadian Hunter" on their thread but knew it would just lead to attacks. NJ bear biologists say the same about shooting a sow with cubs. I know the Division killed a large sow with two cubs a couple years ago at my friend's house after it broke into three homes. I'm fairly certain the young boar that Troutandbucks shot last year was one of its two cubs from the previous year and it was ear tagged as a Category 1 nuisance bear. Learned bad habits from mom most likely. I saw both cubs the year they had to shoot the sow until shortly before 6 Day regularly

 

 

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[3Blade]

Good info. Now if a sow comes in I may not feel so bad if she has cubs( as long as they aren't too small).

[BHC]

Thanks for the information, I'm on the fence about taking the sow that is coming in, she has 3 cubs with her, she is of good size

 

 

 

[Bucksnbows]

She looks like she has an ear tag.

 

 

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[BHC]

Yes she does

[bwd172]

BHC, that sow has two ear tags. The one I shot last year was the same. One is the first time it was captured, and will match its lip tattoo. The next is the second time. If you kill her, by next summer, the division can tell you when and where she was tagged, as well as her age.

[BHC]

BHC, that sow has two ear tags. The one I shot last year was the same. One is the first time it was captured, and will match its lip tattoo. The next is the second time. If you kill her, by next summer, the division can tell you when and where she was tagged, as well as her age.

Back in 2003 I killed on with two tags, it was captured about one mile from where I killed it in September 2003

[Zipper]

I don't need a bear that much. For me no sow with Cubs. I respect others in different situations where bears are in backyards. We all must obey the law, and our own ethics.