Howell Wildlife Outfitters - Guided Professional Big Game Hunts

SOME ASPECTS OF BLACK BEAR ECOLOGY IN THE ARIZONA CHAPARRAL:
A study of the black bear (Ursus americanus) on a 100-km2 study area in the chaparral vegetation type of Arizona was initiated in 1973. During the subsequent 3.5-year period, 44 individual bears were captured and minimum density of 1 bear per 2 km2 was estimated. Twenty-eight bears were radio-instrumented and more than 1,100 locations were recorded. The radio-locations indicated that subadult males have a home range averaging 42 km2, adult males 29 km2, adult females 18 km2, and subadult females 13 km2. There is considerable overlap of home ranges among adult males. A lesser degree of overlap was observed for adult females. Twenty-four dens were located. Most den sites were at elevations between 1,300 and 1,500 m. Some bears den by 1 November, the majority by 15 November. Emergence from dens begins about 15 March and all bears, except females with cubs, leave their dens by 15 April. Females with cubs remain at den sites approximately 30 days longer.

Until recently, Arizona black bears were of little interest to either hunters or wildlife biologists. The majority of bears taken in the state were shot incidental to the hunting of other big game.

Few sportsmen hunted specifically for bears. Campers and picnickers also encountered bears on occasion, and livestock operators suffered varying degrees of livestock loss each year from bears. As Arizona's population has increased, campers, picnickers, and summer home residents have increasingly encountered bears. Also, more hunters began to pursue this low desert black bear as an interesting and unique trophy in itself, rather than something to be shot incidental to other hunting. The increased interest and awareness led to a statutory change in classification for the bear in 1968, when the state legislature changed the status of bears from small game to big game. This change led to an increased emphasis on bear management in Arizona and pointed up the need for more information.