The Department of Fish and Game on Sept. 2 collared two brown bears, including a sow that biologist Anthony Crupi calls “the matriarch of the Chilkoot.”
The collars, which allow biologists to track bear movement as frequently as every half hour, are part of an effort to understand bear use of the area, where changes in management are anticipated.
The matriarch is more than 20 years old and has produced 13 cubs in the last 11 years, including three this year. At least five of her progeny have been killed after encounters with humans.
“She’s got old, worn-down incisors, but her body condition is perfect. She’s typically the most dominant bear on the river,” said Crupi, who expects her routine will lead him to Chilkoot’s prime habitat for feeding, denning and other activities.
“I’ve seen her catch as many as 300 salmon in the course of two months (on the Chilkoot). She’s willing to put up with crowds of people for the benefit of feeding there.”
The sow, distinguished by a broken pinky toe that points upward, is now identified as #443. One of her cubs, #444, has been tagged through the ear.
Crupi also re-collared bear #235, a young female whose first cubs were born this year. The bear was photographed last month very close to an angler at Chilkoot. Tracking information from the collar hasn’t been studied yet.
The collar was on for 15 months and failed to automatically fall off, Crupi said. However, it was not on too tight, as some had feared.
Another year’s study of #235 should tell the state how behavior, including ranging habits, change with sexual maturation, Crupi said. Getting information from Chilkoot bears of different ages and sexes would help fill out the picture of how they use the area, he said.
The state recently took a collar off a two-year-old female, #233, which moved continuously day and night, made forays into town, and swam across Lutak Inlet in a half-hour, behavior typical of animals trying to find their place.
About 10 bears, not including cubs, use the Chilkoot corridor, he said. They include three females with cubs, two other adult females, two sub-adult females and two sub-adult males. There are typically about eight cubs.
Only about a third of the bears that use the Chilkoot are regularly seen, he said. Another third are more skittish and may be seen every few days. The final third only come to the river after dark, he said.
Attrition is part of the reason the bear population there is relatively steady, Crupi said. Half of all cubs die in their first year. Hunting and run-ins with people also are factors limiting population, he said.