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Non-Hunter Bear Mortality

Non-Hunter Bear Mortality

P1040254

Black bears in Colorado are killed in any variety of ways in addition to hunting and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) keeps annual statistics on all manners of black bear mortality, including bears killed during hunting seasons and bears killed in what’s termed non-hunter mortality, (bears killed outside of hunting), both regionally and statewide.

Non-hunter mortality includes bears:

  • killed in collisions with vehicles, or other (electrocution, for example)
  • destroyed as nuisance animals by CPW officers and USDA Wildlife Services
  • shot by landowners

PIX Dead Bear Crystal LEvans 8-05

BY THE NUMBERS

STATEWIDE
Statewide, a record 673 bears were killed in non-hunter mortality in 2017, with 484 being killed for nuisance behavior at the hands of wildlife officers or shot by landowners.

  • The average statewide non-hunter mortality the past three years (2015-2017) was 467 bears a year.
  • The previous five year average (2010-2014) was 465 bears a year.
YEAR 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
NON-HUNT MORTALITY 219 121 162 416 189 338 321 403 628 358 616 474 254 673

AREA 15
In our area, Area 15 of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 103 bears were killed in non-hunter mortality in 2017, the most since 2002 when 87 bears were killed.

  • The past three-year average (2015-2017) for Area 15 non-hunter mortality was 64 bears a year.
  • The previous five-year average (2010-2014) was 43 bears a year.
  • The past three-year average for nuisance bear kills was 31 bears a year.
  • The previous five-year average for nuisance bear kills was 20 bears a year.
YEAR 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
ROADKILL AND OTHER 11 4 4 29 6 5 10 16 48 26 19 36 17 44
NUISANCE AND CONTROL KILLS 9 4 1 17 5 4 18 20 34 13 9 23 12 59
TOTAL NON-HUNT MORTALITY 20 8 5 46 11 9 28 36 82 39 28 59 29 103

Dead bear in trap photo courtesy: Linda Masterson