Size Distribution Structure and Harvest of a Kodiak Bear Population
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1952 Size distribution structure and harvest of a Kodiak bear population Willard A. Troyer The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Troyer, Willard A., "Size distribution structure and harvest of a Kodiak bear population" (1952). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6455. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6455 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SIZE, DISTRIBUTION, STRUCTURE AND HARVEST OF A KODIAK BEAR POPULATION by WILLARD A. TROYER B, S. Oregon State College, 1952 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Wildlife Technology MONTANA s t a t e UNIVERSITY 1962 Approved by a irm an.Æ oahd of Exaiîiîner "Dean, Graduate SchooF MAR 2 y Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP37256 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI OiaMrtation PV btiah^ UMI EP37256 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code uest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Invaluable assistance was received from many persons during this study, I am especially grateful to the many temporary employees who assisted with the field investigations, and without whose help the study would not have been possible. Special thanks go to Kenneth E. Dur ley, Stephan Browne, Howard Chrest and Ear 1 J, Fleming, I am especially indebted to Richard J. Hensel, as sistant Refuge Manager of the Kodiak National W ildlife Refuge, not only for assisting me in planning and carrying out the study, but also for his constant sense of humor and optimism which raised my morale during the most discouraging aspects of th e stu d y . I deeply appreciate the assistance rendered by Dr. John J. Craighead, leader of the Montana Cooperative W ildlife Re search Unit, in evaluating the data and in guidance and prepar ation of the thesis. Special thanks go to Dr. P, L, Wright, Chairman of the Department of Zoology, and members of the ad visory committee. Dr. R. B, Brunson, Dr, G, W, We i se 1 and Dr, R, D, Tabor, for reviewing and criticizing the thesis. The Refuge Division of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service financed the entire study, W.A.T. Please notes This thesis is not a publication and may not be quoted without the express permission of the author and the Department of Zoology, Montana State University. — i i — Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION . , . ............................ 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY A R E A ............................. 3 G0 G Q 3*^1^ X O L 00 I OTl 3 C11 ni3r ts . 3 p 1 OQÎ'ctphy .. 0 0 ......... 0 0 . 6 F SLtlTïcl ^ '\f G Q G L 311 ori ...................... 8 Sedge-Wî1îow Association .............. 11 C o 11 o od s t and . * @ . o « . « . 11 A* 1 d 0 jT* “G '£* 3. s o A.S soc i a 11 on .. 1B FI z* GW 0 G d ^^G 3. d ow................... 1B .AXj^InG Tandz*a. ................... 13 METHODS AND TECHNIQUES ................. lij. Trapping and Marking ................. ll|_ Census and Composition Counts. ............ l5 G^r C' un,d C o un.t 3........... ......... 1 ^ A. G %* i a 1 G- ount s. ................... 1G Collection of Harvest Data . ............ 17 THE KODIAK BEAR POPULATION ............... l8 Population Enumération ................ l8 Ground Counts. ................... 18 Aerial Counts. .................. 20 Total Population Estimate by the Schnabel Method „ . 21 » i i i - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. — Î V “ PAGE Total Population Estimate by the Petersen Index 23 Distribution . , « 0*0000 25 Population Density . 0OOOOO00OOO 27 Populat ion'Structure 0000000000 29 Litter Size 0 0 0 o o 0 o O O O 0 o o o 29 Age Ratios 0 0 0 0 0 o 31 Sex R a tio ' 0 O « 0 O O eooooooooo 3ll BEAR HARVEST 0 0 0 0*0 00OOOOOOOO0 35 Hunting Regulations and Seasons ooeooooo 35 Hunting Methods. ooooooooe 35 Annua1 Harvest o o o o 0 e 0 36 Hide Measurements ooooeoooooo 36 Sex Composition of the Harvest „ 0 0 0 0 *0 38 RECOMMENDATIONS. ......... k2 SUMMARY. ...... * 00000000000000*0 k k LITERATURE CITED . OOOOO0O0OOOO0OOOOOO 47 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE I« Summary of Average Monthly Precipitation and Temperatures Recorded from Through 1960c » 5 II, Adult Red Salmon Migrations Through the Karluk River Weirs for Certain Years Between 192$ and l960coOOOOCOOOOOOOOOCOOOO« 9 I I I . The i960 Bear Population Estimate in the Karluk Lake Drainage as Determined by the Schnabel Method in October^, I960 .,,,, 0 0 0 , 0 ,. 22 IV. Size and Fî'equency of Occurrence of Kodiak Bear L i t t e r s In Karluk Lake^ Alaskaj, 1959-1961 , , , 30 V, Comparison of Cub and Yearling Age Class Counts as Tabulated During the Annual Ground Counts in Karluk Lake from 19$i|."19$6 and 1958-1961 . , 30 VI, Sex and Age Ratios of 11$ Bears Live-trapped in Karluk Lake, Alaska, 1957"196l, , 32 VII, Age Ratios of the Seven Year Mean Karluk Lake Bear Population After Calculating the Number of Cubs a : Determined from Ground Counts, , , , 32 VIII, Total Annual Bear Harvest in the Karluk Lake Drainage, 1950-1961 , ,,,,,,,,,,,,, 37 IX, Mean Hide Measurements of Karluk Lake Bear K ills, ^951—i 960 o , O O O O , O O O , O O , o o o o o 39 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. - v î - TABLE PAGE X* Sex Composition of the Bear Harvest in Karluk Lake, 19^0"" 1^6 1 # •#eooooootteo«<»*o«oo* 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Location of the Study Area. o*.......... I4. 2. Map of the Study Area 7 3o The Karluk Lake Bear Population Trend, 195U*”196l. „ 19 I}-o Distribution of the Bears During the 1961 Census ing P erio d * * . # * . # * . * * « # # » * . * * « 26 -vi Î - Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION Increased pressures of civilization have reduced or eliminated brown and grizzly bears from great portions of the Northern Hemisphere. In the Western United States where the grizzlies (Ursus arctos horribi1 is Rausch 1953) were formerly abundant, they now number less than 1,000, exclusive of Na- tional Parks (Cooney, 1956; Craighead, , I960), In Alaska, where vast wilderness areas still exist, large populations of grizzly and brown bears remain. An ex panding human population and modern means of transportation to hunting areas have rapidly increased the bear harvest in Alaska during the last decade. Klein, Troyer, and Rausch (1958) indicated, however, that bear numbers remain at a high l e v e 1. The brown bear of Kodiak Island, more commonly known as the Kodiak bear (Ursus arct os middendorf f ii Rausch 1953)? is one of the most coveted trophies on the North American continent. Because of its reputation of extreme size, hunting pressures are greater on Kodiak Island than on other Alaskan regions (Troyer, 1961). The Kodiak bear>s reputedly larger size over that of the nearby Alaska Peninsula brown bear (Ursus arct os gyas Rausch 1953) may be questionable; however, this belief is somewhat substantiated by current Boone and Crockett Club records which list 12 of the first 13 brown bear Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. —2 * trophies as coming from Kodiak Island (Webb, e_t * 1958). The bear f s aesthetic value and trophy importance led to the dstab 1 ishment by Congress in 19l\.l of the Kodiak National Wild life Refuge, which encompasses the greater portion of Kodiak Island. Refuge regulations permit controlled hunting and with proper management assist in perpetuation of the species. The increased hunting pressures led biologists to inau gurate studies to obtain adequate knowledge needed in managing this species. Studies, from 1947 to 1956, were primarily concerned with bear-salmon relationships! however, limited data were gathered on population, food habits, and harvest. In 1957 the investigations were greatly expanded with a live- trapping and ear-tagging program. The author, as Refuge Mana ger of the Kodiak National W ildlife Refuge, was in charge of the bear studies from August 1955 through 1961. This phase of the investigation was conducted in the Karluk Lake drainage on Kodiak Island. The area is considered optimum bear habitat and comprises approximately 10 per cent of the total refuge bear population. The primary objectives of the study were : 1. To determine the size, structure, and density of the Kodiak bear population in the Karluk Lake d ra in a g e .