Habitat Use by Female Black Bears in a Southern Appalachian Bear Sanctuary

127 Pages·2016·1.45 MB·English

by  Steven Richard Reagan

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Masters Theses Graduate School
5-1991
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Steven Richard Reagan
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes
Part of the Other Animal Sciences Commons
RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn
Reagan, Steven Richard, "Habitat Use by Female Black Bears in a Southern Appalachian Bear Sanctuary. "
Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1991.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2507
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and
Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE:
Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected].
To the Graduate Council:
I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Steven Richard Reagan entitled "Habitat Use by
Female Black Bears in a Southern Appalachian Bear Sanctuary." I have examined the final
electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, with a major in Wildlife and
Fisheries Science.
Michael R. Pelton, Major Professor
We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance:
Ralph W. Dimmick, Neil Greenberg, Edward R. Buckner
Accepted for the Council:
Carolyn R. Hodges
Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
(Original signatures are on file with official student records.)
Tot heG raduaCtoeu nicl:
I ams umbitting rheewitha theiss writtne by SteveRnic hard
Reagaenn ittled" HabtiatU se by Feamle BlcakB earisn a
SoutherAnpp alachainB earS anctuya"r. hIa ev examined the
final copyo ft hist heiss forf omr andc ontenatn dr ecmomend
thati t bea ccpetde in patrialf uflillmneto ft he
requireemntsf ort hed egreoef M asteorf S cienc,e witha
majori nW ildlifea ndF ishereisS ceinc.e
MichealR .P etlon, Major Prfoessor
Weh aver eadt his thessi
andr ecmomendi ts acceptcaen:
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Acceptedf ort heC ounicl:
ViceP rovost
andD ean Tohfe G raduaStceoh ol
HABITATU SEB Y FEMALEB LACKB EARSI NA SOUTHERN
APPAALCHINA BEARS ACNTUARY
A Thesis
Presend tfeort he
Mastre of Scnciee
Degree
TheU nivresityo fT ennsees,e Knovxille
StveenR ihcardR eagan
May1 991
ii
ACKNWOLEDEMGENTS
Finnaciaslup porfto rt hiss tudwya s providebdy t he
Unitde StateFso resSter vicea nd theA gricluturla Expermient
Staiton ofT heU niveristy ofT ennsese,e Knoxlvile.
I wouldl iket ot hanmky m ajor profseos,r Dr. Mihcael
R.P elotn, fori nputa nd neededa sstiasnce. I woulda los
liket ot hanmky committemee mbser,D rs. EdwardR .B uckn,e r
RalphW .D immic,k andN eilG reenbefrogrt heirs uggeisonts
andr eviwe oft hem anuscr.i pt
I alos amv eryg rtaefutlo JaneEtr tela ndM icheal
Henry, whos evreda sf ielads stiasntfso rv eryl ittle
copmenstiaon. appreicatet heh elpa ndf reindsihpp rvoided
I
byf ellow graduasttued etns. I ,a ndm y fete,s tlilo weB ill
Stivera ndS tveeS ebiertm uhc graittudef ort her idet hat
savedm e from msyec ond2 0h ourw alkh ome.
Appreicaitoni sa lsod uet oD avidM cGre,w FranRko ss,
and LaureHni lmlano ft he ForesSte vric,e alnogw iht
u.s.
JefferyB rokos, RandPyo rtrefeild,P atirck Farerl,l andJ ohn
Collinso ft heN orht CarloinaW ildlei RfesorucesC ommisiso.n
I woulda los liket or ecoginzeA llne Brody, Jeff
Beirnger,a ndS tvee Seiberwth oa lsoh avep utm uhc oft heir
timea nde ffroti ntot her eesarhc obne arwsi htinH armoDne n
BearS antcuar.y
Fianlyl, wouldl iket ot hanmky famiyl andJ anet
I
Ertelf ort hes uppornte edetdo c opmlteet hiss tudy.
iii
ABSRTACT
Theo bjeicvteso f thsetu dyw eret o 1)d etremine
patteronfsh abituatti liztaiono ff emale abclkb ear,s 2)
idenitfy timberm aangemendtis turabncetsh ata ffecth abiatt
useo ff emlaeb lakc beras, and3 )i ntgerataen ds ummarize
the sreerachc onductoendH amronD enB earS anctuarsyin ce
1928. HarmoDne nB earS antcuaryi sa 5917-haa reaa lnogt he
Tennesese-NortCha rloinas tatlei ne. Thiss acntuayr was
estbalihsedi n1 97w1i th thpeu proseo fp roteicngt ac ore
breeidng ogurpo ff emlaeb lakc bear.s
From7 June1 98t8o 3 0J une1 98196 b earwse rec aputred
21t imes. Thec aptureso ft hes1e6 i nidviudalsb ruoghtt he
totla number ionfd ivuiadlb earhsa nldedw ithiHna mronD en
BearS anctuarsyin ce1 928 to6 1. Oft he6 1c aptrues, 29o f
theb earwse ref emale,s 18 owfhi ch werea dlut.s
Duringt he1 988-198f9ie ld seaso,n 1s6h orner angeosn
11a dlutf emaleb lakc bears wceorsnet ructuesdi gn the
MiinmumC onvePxol ygomne tho. dLineaRre rgessni o
demotnrsatetdh ata n increaisnet hes izoef a bea'rsh orne
rangwea s posivteilyc orreltaedt ot hea mounotf a rea
silviculturlaly clearcuwti thitnh eh orner agne. Using
linera regrsesioint w as alsdoe monstrattheadtt hes izoef
thea dlut mfaele ' sho rner angwea sn egaitvleyc orrleatedt o
thep rpooritono ft imeb earssp enwti thint heH amronD en
BearS anctuya.r Thea mounotf t imeb earssp enwti thint he
iv
sancutayr durign 198a8v ergaed8 1%( range: 47-1%0),0 andi n
198a9v reage6d 8%( rnage: 19-1%0).0
Habitauts ea nalysisb etewent he7 5h abitaptlo ts
gathreedf romb earl ocaitonsa ndt he7 5r andomllyoc ated
habitpatlo tsd emonstrattheadtb earsse elctefdo rs mall­
andl arge-swatimbre ovrestroiest hroughotuhtey ear;t his
was not true, howeve,r forb eartsh atd emonstrd artesetign
behavri.o Bearesx hibitinrges tign behaovric hosaer aes
favoringt hes edeling-pslaings izcel sas.
Thee ffectosfh abitadtis turbancewse red etremined
througRhe peatMeedsa urse anlayissu sing6 typeosf p ossible
disutrbanc.e Thep ossibldei tsubranceisn cdleuda bandoned
road,s recerationvaehli clreo ad,s logginrgo ad,s secnodary
rodas, ani nterstahtiehg way, and clearctus. Thea naliyss
deomnstratetdh atb earwse ref ouncdl soer than peetxcedt o
botht hei nterstataend loggirnogda s, andf arthetrh an
expcetedf roms econadryr oad.s Copmarsion betweerna ngeosf
bearp lot locaitonsa ndr andmo plotsd emonstrattheadta 352
m anda 314 ms triopf l adn alongt hei ntesrtataen d
secondaryr oad,s respeicvtley, did not ctoanina ny locatniso
ofb eras. Thisa reao fn ov iistaitonw asn ot obesrvead long
loggign rodas.
Nineo f2 1f emalesb earuss ign thes acnturay died;6
deathwse rec ausebdy legla hunitng, b2y illgealh unitn,g
and1 by carc ollsiion. Anunaln umbero fm otralitiefsor
taggeda dlutf emaleb earsh aver angefdr om t0o 4 bear.s
v
Thed ecraesei nt hea mounotf t imeb earasr es pneding
withitnh ep rotectoifot nh es antcuariys p ossiblyt he most
impoarntt impatc ona dlutf emaleb lack bearsst uided witihn
HamronD enB earS antcuayr. It itshi sd ecerasei nt ime
spenwti tihnt he sancyt tuhaartc ouldi ncreatshee
opportiutnyf orh unetrst o rhvaseti nidvidlusac onisdered
parto ft hec oreb reedign group.
vi
TABLOE FC ONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I . Introduciton . 1
II. studyA rea 5
II.I summaryo fP revoiusW ork. 22
IV. Metohds 31
Trapipnga nd Hanlding 31
Telemetrayn d HoRmaen gAen alyiss 33
HabitaUtse 35
Plto Desin g . 36
Useo fC ulverts 40
BaitilneS ummayr . 41
Viusal Observiaotns. 41
Sacntuayr Stauts . 42
V. Resluts 43
Trappinga ndH anlding 43
Motraltiy 46
Telemetrayn dH omeR angeA nalysis 48
HabitaUste 54
TopograipchaElf fects Hoanb itaUts e. 56
VegettiaveC hraatceritsics 56
.
Effetcso fD isturnbcae 62
CulverUts e 64
BaitilneS ummary 64
.
Visula Obesravtion.s 64
Sacntuayr Status 65
.
vii
CHAPETR PAGE
VI. Dicsussion 68
HabitUatti lziation. 68
Disturnbcaes 73
MangaemenItmp liactoins. 77
VII . Summar.y 80
LITERATURCEI ETD 85
APEPNDIECS 93
APEPNDIAX . 94
APEPNDIBX 97
.
APPNEDIXc . 100
APPNEDIXD 102
.
APPNEDIXE 105
.
APPENIDXF 108
.
APPNEDIXG 111
VIAT 114