From 770 to 158 complaints in one year-
This shows the role that natural food availability plays in making bears into “bad” bears. As the story below indicates the changes was food availability.
It is a short shory, but very much worth reporting because bears causing damage is an easier story to write and seems to appeal to readership more than good news stories.
Black Bear Conflicts Down In N. Idaho. By Associated Press
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/29445207/detail.html
It would appear its not the case in Bozeman, Montana. Those folks need to wake up and realize when it comes to bears/ wilderness areas and their attraction to human waste left by the wayside? Yeah, if the opportunity presents it self??
Although I’m curious if there has been any differences in the number of bears taken in those hunting units in the same period of time.