Bears - Sounds Wild
Brown Bear Gender

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Transcript

Brown bear - male or female

A hunter is pursuing a brown bear. He's spotted one in an estuary and he's been watching it closely through binoculars for almost an hour. Finally he sees what he's looking for, lowers his binoculars, and slips away. It's a female bear, and he's not interested in taking a female bear.

It's never legal in Alaska to take a female bear accompanied by cubs. Hunters typically watch bears long enough to determine there are no cubs present. This female does not have cubs, so she is legal. But the hunter still passes. He wants a bear, but he wants to minimize his impact on the bear population in this area. Taking a female bear means fewer cubs in the future.

Brown bears have a low reproductive potential compared to other large mammals. A female bear typically does not have a first cub until it is at least five years old, sometimes older. She will have a cub or cubs only every three or four years, so they are not particularly prolific.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has produced a handy color booklet that details how to identify male a female brown bears. Dozens of pictures and tips highlight the subtle and not so subtle differences in appearance and behavior. The guide is popular with bear viewers as well as hunters and it's free at most Fish and Game offices.