Regional harvest of 666 bears in 2015 the highest in 18 years

Black bear hunters in Northwest Montana had a banner year in 2015, with the highest reported harvest in 18 years, according to the state’s annual wildlife status update released this week.

In only two other years since Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks began mandatory reporting for bear hunting in 1985 did Northwest Montana’s harvest exceed the 666 black bears killed by hunters last year. Hunters harvested 716 black bears in 1998 and 674 bears in 1992.

Neil Anderson, the regional wildlife manager for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, added that the number of documented bear deaths from other causes also was above normal last year.

Regionwide, 53 black bears were killed last year by wildlife managers, vehicle collisions and illegal harvest, compared to 31 in 2014.

“We had a pretty big year last year for bear harvest and mortality,” Anderson said. “We’re watching that to see what happens this year, and hoping we have a little more moisture, a little more berry production and more of a normal year in terms of harvest.”

Last year’s record-setting heat and drought took a significant toll on the area’s crop of huckleberries, which constitute the majority of black bears’ diets.

As a result, wildlife managers found themselves scrambling last fall to respond to daily torrents of reported conflicts as undernourished bears penetrated farther into developed areas in search of additional food sources.

Data from the National Weather Service show Kalispell’s precipitation is about 33 percent above normal this year, and the past week’s storms have dumped significantly more rain and snow in the surrounding mountainous areas. Anderson said that has been an encouraging sign and he believes the region’s black bear population is still healthy overall.

“We still have a lot of bears,” he said. “If reproduction and food production is low, coupled with high harvest extended over a period of years, that would be something we’ll definitely be looking at.”

The agency’s report notes that Montana’s total black bear harvest — most of which occurs in Northwest Montana — is the fourth-highest in the nation, behind Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Statewide, black bear hunters spent an estimated 90,000 to 100,000 days hunting, resulting in a total harvest of about 1,000 bears out of more than 20,000 licenses sold.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.