PIERRE, S.D. — A Game, Fish and Parks Department survey of landowners’ opinions about wildlife on their property offered some surprising results. After years of hearing about the state’s booming deer population, the majority of landowners who responded to the survey in Hughes, Roberts, Grant and Ziebach counties said they didn’t have enough white-tailed deer on their property.
 
That was one of the findings of the Wildlife on Private Lands Status Report recently released by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. “The data in the report is non-scientific,” according to Larry Gigliotti, GFP planning coordinator/human dimensions specialist. “However, it can be used as a supplement to biological data as the department makes deer management decisions.”
 
On average, landowners responded that white-tailed deer numbers were just about right in Marshall, Moody, Hutchinson, Gregory, Jackson, Haakon, Stanley, Corson, Harding, Codington, Deuel, Lake, Turner, Lincoln, Hanson, Douglas, Charles Mix, Lyman, Tripp, Bennett, Fall River and Perkins counties. The majority of landowners in other counties reported that to varying degrees there were too many white-tailed deer on their property.
 
“We were frankly surprised by some of these findings,” said Wildlife Division Director Tony Leif. “However, these landowner responses provide us with a good framework regarding which areas of the state need more work in depredation control.”
 
In addition to white-tailed deer, landowners were also given the opportunity to respond about depredation problems caused by mule deer, elk, antelope, turkey and Canada geese.
 
The department contacted the landowners through its Landowners Matter newsletter which has about 16,000 subscribers. Of those who got the survey, 3,260 responded. “Not only did we get the landowners’ perspective on various wildlife species, we also got the chance to respond to their inquiries,” Gigliotti said.
 
Five information packets on specific topics were made available to survey respondents. There were 1,341 respondents who requested 2,059 information packets. “In 163 cases where additional information was requested, a conservation officer or trapper was dispatched to handle the landowner’s request,” Gigliotti said.
 
In addition to detailing the survey responses landowners gave about the presence of various wildlife species, the status report also lists all of the 1,170 comments made by respondents who were asked to provide their ideas and concerns regarding wildlife management.
 
The full status report, as well as a special supplement about white-tailed deer, is available on the GFP Web site at http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/privatelands/LandownersMatter/Index.HTM. A hard copy of the report can be requested by writing to Larry Gigliotti at 523, E. Capitol Ave. Pierre, SD 57501.

Hunters in the field for this weekend’s firearms deer opener are reminded that it remains illegal to shoot gray wolves, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Federal officials removed the gray wolf - commonly referred to as the timber wolf - from the endangered species list earlier this year, and the DNR assumed management authority. While no longer endangered, State law classifies the gray wolf as a protected wild animal.

In the early 1970s, the extreme northeastern portion of Minnesota boasted the only population of gray wolves in the lower 48 states. Through the protections of the federal Endangered Species Act as well as successful federal and state recovery programs, the winter population of gray wolves has increased to about 3,000. The species now ranges throughout the forested portion of northern and central Minnesota.

“The recovery of wolves in Minnesota and the Great Lakes region is a conservation success story,” said Dan Stark, DNR wolf management specialist.

Shooting a wolf is illegal except in defense of human life and, under certain circumstances, to protect livestock or pets. Illegally shooting a wolf is a gross misdemeanor with fines up to $3,000 and up to one year in county jail. People convicted also must pay $2,000 in restitution.

“The management goal for wolves in Minnesota is to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf while resolving conflicts between wolves and humans,” Stark said. “With more people in the woods, the potential for conflict increases - particularly for any wolves that have been habituated to humans.”

A 250 pound, 2 1/2-year-old male grizzly bear was shot and killed the evening of October 4 by wildlife officials, as it walked past residences near Nordman in northern Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game earlier had secured an agreement from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take lethal action against the bear, which officials had determined posed a threat to human safety.

The bear had been trapped in a culvert trap August 11, when it was tranquilized, fitted with a radio collar, and relocated more than 25 air miles to the north near the Idaho-British Columbia border on August 12.

The bear returned to the area of capture by September 8.

The grizzly had received food rewards from human sources, had lost its fear of people, and was considered to be a threat to human safety to the extent that it could not be safely relocated.

“The bear became conditioned to expect food from humans,” said Rob Soumas, a conservation officer for Idaho Fish and Game. “A photographer placed corn near his house so he could obtain photos of grizzly bears.”

The bear found corn cribs near other houses that were put out to attract and feed deer. The bear also discovered and tore apart bird feeders to obtain sunflower seeds. The bear became accustomed to the food and lost his natural fear of humans.

This is a fatal combination for the bear, Soumas said.

“There’s an old adage that a fed bear is a dead bear,’ and unfortunately that was the case for this one,” he said.

Fish and Game was notified of the situation in late July when some residents became concerned about the behavior of the bear, which was being seen regularly. Traps were set and the bear was caught and relocated.

When the grizzly returned to the area, the bear was trap shy and avoided capture. Though not aggressive toward humans, the bear began to scavenge on porches, decks and carports, and began entering chicken coops to eat chicken feed.

In one incident, the bear inadvertently isolated a resident from his home when the bear ambled through a carport. The man kept his car between himself and the bear and safely made it into his home. Following this and other incidents and discussions between Fish and Game and the Fish and Wildlife Service, officials decided October 1 to kill the bear. When it was seen near a residence on October 4, officers shot the bear with a high powered rifle.

The following morning, October 5, a second grizzly was captured in a culvert trap. This bear appears to be less habituated to humans, and is being collared and released in a remote location.

Fish and Game wildlife research biologist Wayne Wakkinen and grizzly bear education officer Brian Johnson expressed frustration with the situation.

“People need to be aware of the consequences of their actions,” Johnson said. “Intentionally attracting an animal like a grizzly bear to your house by using food puts both humans and the bear at risk.”

Wakkinen agreed.

“Wild animals do not need to be fed by people to survive, and feeding does nothing but lead to problems for wildlife,” he said. “This is a classic example of the bad that can happen when people feed wildlife. People were placed at risk, and at least one- and perhaps two-grizzly bears will end up being removed from an already small population.”

After reviewing public comments that overwhelmingly opposed moving the Dungeness Roosevelt Elk Herd out of Sequim, the herd’s co-managers have agreed to pursue efforts to fence the animals away from highways and residential areas.
The decision to explore fencing options was reached during a Tuesday meeting of the Dungeness-Sequim Elk Policy Group. The group includes the herd’s co-managers, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, as well as area landowners, including the City of Sequim, Clallam and Jefferson counties, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service.
The proposed fence would be designed to keep the elk on public land and prevent them from moving into Sequim’s urban areas.
The co-managers will investigate fencing routes and present the alternatives during the elk policy group’s meeting in early March. Past cost estimates have placed fencing at more than $1 million. The tribal and state co-managers are investigating funding options, including applying for grants.

SALEM - As spring bear hunters prepare for the April 1 and April 15 season openers throughout the state, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials today reminded successful hunters that their help is needed for an important study.
State wildlife managers are asking every successful bear hunter to submit a single premolar tooth from each harvested bear, as well as the reproductive tracts of female bears. All bear hunters received a specially marked, postage paid tooth envelope, which includes instructions for removing and submitting teeth.
ODFW is working on an important study designed to more accurately estimate Oregon’s bear population. Submission of premolar teeth and female reproductive organs are critical to management efforts.
Biologists are using a unique method to mark bears and help direct black bear management in the state. Last summer, researchers lured bears into bait stations by hanging small sacks containing tetracycline capsules wrapped in bacon. The chemical stains the bears’ teeth, and the stain is visible under ultraviolet light. The system allows researchers to conduct a mark-recapture study to estimate the number of black bears in Oregon.
“This program is crucial to ODFW’s bear management efforts, but its success depends on help from bear hunters,” said Larry Cooper, ODFW Wildlife Division assistant administrator. “Strong hunter participation is essential to helping the department better manage Oregon’s bears, which means quality hunts for the future.”
The bear meat is safe to eat and will not stain the teeth of people who eat the meat.
The higher the percentage of successful bear hunters who cooperate by providing the requested teeth and reproductive organs, the better the population estimate will be. Last year, only 30 percent of successful hunters participated.
Hunters are encouraged to contact local ODFW offices for assistance or more information. Participating hunters will be notified of the age of their bear once laboratory analysis is completed in about a year.