Black Bear Biology with Jim Akenson

6 Ranch Podcast

Bears are fascinating, and I was blown away by last week's conversation with Toogee Sielsch on the urbanization of black bears in Lake Tahoe Basin (if you haven't listened to the episode yet, go back). This week, I wanted to learn more about bear biology and behavior, and who better to ask than wildlife biologist Jim Akenson. Jim conducted a tremendous black bear study in Northeast Oregon back in the early 90s. He and his team used a variety of methods, including hounds and climbing trees, to trap, tag, and monitor bears. In this episode, Jim recounts what he learned about black bear communication and behavior, size, den choice, reproduction, and more while studying these intelligent animals.
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Chapters

1. Black Bear Biology with Jim Akenson (00:00:00)

2. Wall Tents (00:04:43)

3. Saddles (00:06:32)

4. Mule Stories (00:11:53)

5. Will Bears Become Domesticated? (00:14:57)

6. River Otters (00:17:20)

7. NE Oregon Bear Study (00:19:10)

8. Immobilizing Drugs (00:23:54)

9. Aging Live Bears (00:25:53)

10. Tagging Cubs (00:26:50)

11. Public Response to Hound Hunting (00:30:00)

12. Climbing Trees (00:33:10)

13. Wildlife Biology Lesson - Delayed Implantation (00:35:27)

14. Bear Dens (00:37:35)

15. Age vs Size (00:44:10)

16. Delayed Implantation (00:46:14)

17. Bear Intelligence (00:50:16)

18. Bear Communication (00:52:17)

19. Urbanized Bears (00:53:01)

20. Bear Dens (00:56:02)

21. Bear Hunting Methods (00:59:28)

22. Healthy Age Structure (01:02:51)

23. Dispersal (01:04:40)

24. Bear Misconceptions (01:07:17)

25. Knowledge for Bear Hunters (01:10:15)

26. Bear Population Data (01:14:14)

27. Color Phases (01:16:51)

28. Mistaking Grizzlies for Black Bears (01:19:23)

29. Sizing Bears (01:23:26)