I wouldn't discredit the evidence until a deeper dive into just why the previous handling interaction occurred.

A. Tagged and collared as cub = higher probability to maul

B. Adult bears relocated due to nuisance behaviors = higher probability to maul

Two totally different things

Either way the initial finding deserves further research.

Oh there was lots of evidence. Came right from Fish / Game. Bears that were collared or trapped are more likely to act aggressively than those that have not been handled by people. This is in and around the communities.

Yukon do you have a link to these results? I would love to see what they used for a control group.

Not trying to dis you personally but I am pretty darn skeptical of the study.

Do you have any links to the new information or the dispelled myths?

Higher than what? That's my point. It seems it would be impossible to have a control group. How could you have any idea what other interactions these bears have had with humans? Among bears that have not been handled by humans, you have bears that get into trash all the way to bears that have never encountered a human before, and an entire continuum in between.

Do you have any links to the new information or the dispelled myths?
[/quote]

I have been doing articles in bear hunting magazine and videos on my youtube channel over the past few years. There are several studies that have been published by various DNR's in several states. Do a search you'll come up with all kinds of stuff.

The late Bob Hayes was probably one of the most experienced carnivore biologists in NA. He once told me that a bear will learn from a single experience. He told me bears that have been handled a single time would run and hide years later when they heard a helicopter coming. I've lived in bear country my entire life and have no doubt that handling bears could cause problems down the road.




Collaring wildlife can be a useful tool in some cases but I believe its used to often by some biologists.

I agree about the collaring. And yes I have said many times that bears learn from a single experience good and bad, I have personally observed it hundreds of times. How does a big buck get big? Because he had a close call when he was younger. Why will some bears NEVER come to a bait site in the daylight? Probably a single experience. Why do bears run away from helicopters? Because they are noisy and scary.

I want to see this study you are referring to. Did Bob Hayes do it? At least that would be a good place to start doing a search for it.

Its not rocket science when you start looking at some of the data. I dont remember the numbers off the top of my head but a high percentage of the bears that were involved in maulings had either been collared or trapped. Anyone with any experience with bears knows that they have a higher chance of becoming aggressive whenever they are habituated to people. This can be caused by tourists, garbage, ect. Its not a stretch to think handling by biologists could have the same effect.

There was no "study" that i know of. I said there was evidence of it in the research I did. No way fish/game is going to open that can of worms, but they are aware that its possible. I know that from talking to some of them.

True, finding enough data sets that are truly comparable would be highly unlikely.

If I had to take a WAG at it I would suspect B. But I don't know bears.

But I'm the kind of nerd that likes digging into data.

Tagging and/or gps collaring are great research tools, but only when the objectives of the study are clearly defined. What question needs to be answered, and specifically how will the tracking or tag return data be used to better manage the species. Too often these can end up with GeeWiz results like bear/moose/wolf #27 traveled 493 miles in 5 days. So what, thats what wild animals do.
Or worse yet animal #27 gets a name and gets posted on facebook and gathers a following, and we all know where that leads.

Why not just leave the bears alone to do what they do ....crap in the woods.

Kill some off when needed . Been that way forever


This is a legitimate question

Hopefully they don't find that bear baiting causes issues.

There was no "study" that i know of. I said there was evidence of it in the research I did. No way fish/game is going to open that can of worms, but they are aware that its possible. I know that from talking to some of them. [/quote]

With all due respect, that's what I figured from the beginning, there was no research, only opinion and there is no evidence, only opinion.

It's the same argument that people use against bear baiting. They say that baiting bears acclimates them to humans, and negative human encounters such as maulings, trash digging, etc. are going to occur. Same exact principle you are using for biologists handling bears.

I do not have any research or evidence any more than you do, but I have personal experience and my opinion. I am convinced that baiting bears causes bears to understand human interaction and trains them to better avoid humans.
Handling by biologists? The process of being darted in the den, pulled out by the leg, manhandled with ear tags punched through the ears and possibly a collar put on, while the bears are totally conscious but unable to move, is very traumatic. Common sense would say that this traumatic experience with humans would make them trend towards avoidance of any kind of human interaction. (Remember your helicopter illustration earlier)

There is plenty of research and evidence, the real stuff, that once bears have been trapped and relocated, that they are extremely difficult to trap a second time. (one negative experience as you mentioned earlier)
That would also lend credibility to the belief that bears who have had direct contact with humans are more likely to avoid them whenever possible.

Just my opinion.

100% agree. They have to put together a very specific plan before any study gets approved, but sometimes the end value of the results is questionable. It's hard to justify it because of curiosity for most of us. And bears that become celebrities so to speak can never be a good thing.

I agree. Collaring is used to often IMO. It really stresses the animals too. I would like to know the mortality rates associated with collaring in some species. I know some die but trying to get the numbers is like pulling teeth..

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/recreation/hunting/bear/bear_tagscollars_2.pdf

I read this one in Minnesota’s site.

https://extension.wvu.edu/natural-resources/wildlife/black-bears

This one is from WV.

Both of them are pretty dated. Any suggestions on some newer information. Any idea of what new breakthroughs the MN DNR is expecting?

My daughter did some bear research here In WI and she has tagged a few grizzles In Alaska.