Black bears becoming an avid game to hunt

Speaking of the fall hunting season, I want to highlight a relative newcomer to the big game season — the black bear.

A retired Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation official gave me some in-depth information on this neat critter.

Black bears came historically into the Ozark and Ouachita mountains and were eradicated by over-hunting by the time Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Arkansas initiated a relocation program in the 1950s and 1960s when they moved about 250 black bears from Minnesota and Canada.

Arkansas began allowing bear hunting in the 1980s and harvests more than 600 black bears annually.

The black bears’ range has expanded to Oklahoma with the initial growth in the southeastern region. The range is expanding to include several northeastern counties.

My sources among friends, landowners and farmers in Cherokee and Sequoyah counties have said the numbers of black bears are ever expanding. Perhaps, at some point, a season in those areas will be opened in the not too distant future.

After I first moved to the Braggs area in 2001, I swore one evening about dark, I saw a bear along the side of the road digging in the area of some rubbish. When I told folks about my sighting, they claimed that I had been out in the sun too long. Now, bear sightings are becoming more common in our state.

It’s been learned that male bears have a larger home-range than females. For the most part, bears are loners, especially males. They will tolerate females being in their home range but will not tolerate another male, and a bear’s range can be up to 20-plus square miles. They reach sexual maturity at about four years of age.

The breeding season is in June and July with the gestation period being from seven to 7.5 months long. A litter with one to three cubs is the average. Typically, a litter is born every other year. Cubs make their appearance in the months of January and February.

The bear’s life span is approximately 20 years, and they are omnivores (plant and meat eaters) and are generally not aggressive. The problems begin occurring when their habitat, food and space becomes limited and bears begin associating food with people.

When and where are human-bear conflicts most likely to occur? Bear reports typically begin coming in the month of May. These reports are weighted toward yearling, male bears that have just been kicked away from their mothers. They are trying to avoid mature males, find their own home range and keep their bellies full, too.

June and July may see a small drop in the number of calls to officials because natural, soft mast like blueberries and blackberries are becoming abundant.

August is typically a high month for reports as soft mast sources diminish and grasses and other vegetation dry out or become unpalatable.

Usually, the first time a bear encounters a human space is at night. However, if they are rewarded by food sources and do not receive any negative stimuli from the night time visits, they may become more bold and visit during the day.

Bears will visit human residences that are surrounded by shrubs and crops which they use for cover. Other homes in sparsely populated areas nestled in the woods or directly adjacent to a large timber block are inviting places for bears.

Bears are most likely to risk exploring near a residence when there are attractants such as bird feeders, deer corn feeder, beehive areas and pet food.

Thanks to a bill signed in 2009 by then-Gov. Brad Henry, Oklahoma became the 29th state to approve black bear hunting in certain counties.

The ODWC recommends the site www. BearWise.org for more information about bears and provides solutions that help people, neighborhoods and communities prevent problems with bears.

Bear archery season runs Oct. 1-15. Bear muzzleloader extends from Oct. 28 until Nov. 5.

Bear this in mind, check the regulations and quotas that apply to hunting before going afield.

John Kilgore is the former Greenleaf State Park manager. He can be reached by emailing him at jkilgoreoutdoors@yahoo.com.