Bill - August 29, 2012 At 7:48 PM, we received a call telling us where to meet to collect DNA, a small tooth, and measurements from the second bear the guided hunters killed between Ely and Tower. It was 2-year-old Bill. The average age of males in the statewide hunting kill is 2. Bill’s mother is 13-year-old RC. His brothers are Jim and Doug—who have both dispersed from the study area.
Bill is the bear that fed on tent caterpillars with Sharon during the mating season in June. He then returned to her to hang out and play in August, once again showing the long-term ties between mates. If Sharon has cubs this winter, we’ll see if they have light noses like Bill and we’ll check for paternity.
Bill also is the bear that reacted to the carcass of his older sister Jo as described in the update of May 26.
We tried to prepare ourselves to lose him, knowing that he was day-active and in an area with many hunters. When we took the pictures of him on August 29, we knew those might be the last ones we’d get. We were glad some came out extra good.
WRI brushpile - Sept 5, 2012The hunters did nothing illegal in taking him. We appreciate that they let us see the bears they kill in the 22-mile long area between Ely and Tower.
Meanwhile, the volunteers did an amazing amount of work in addition to monitoring the radio-collared yearlings. The photo shows the brush pile they created. It is 48 feet long and over 6 feet high. They are tired but happy, although understandably subdued this evening.
Archive footage of June and cubs from May 6, 2007 is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksbZNJ2vbmM.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center