Bears in our backyard:
A day in the field with wildlife biologists
By Susan Feeney-Hopkins
Ashland correspondent
While most would choose to remain indoors when it’s 10 degrees below zero, I found myself on snowshoes spying over the shoulder of Maine Wildlife Biologist Randy Cross, into a bear den.
Contributed//Susan Feeney-Hopkins
WILDLIFE Biologist Randy Cross reveals the teeth and inner lip tattoo of a 14-year-old sow black bear. Maine has the honorable distinction of having one of the longest ongoing black bear studies in the country beginning in 1975. This particular sow has been studied for the last 13 years.
The anticipation of the day to come kept me awake most of the night before. Though quite practiced in the natural world, I didn’t really know what to expect. My snowmobile was loaded onto the back of the pickup with my lunch and snowshoes in tow. We met that morning at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Ashland Headquarters and set off for the Spectacle Pond Study Area.
The bears in the study are radio-collared females with their general location already first determined by a previous fly-over by the Department’s Warden Service pilots. Once in the general area, the dens are then located by hand-held telemetry radio equipment, which when used with the proper skill, will lead the biologist and crew directly to the exact location of the den. We set out in our vehicles for the north woods location, then rode on our sleds about a mile in, on an otherwise inaccessible road and from there walked in on snow-shoed feet, quietly, to the den.
The first den we checked was wide open in the shelter provided among the roots of an uprooted hemlock. We marveled at the size and meticulousness of this den. You didn’t need to be a professional to see this den was a mansion of a den. The “door yard” was sandy and appeared manicured. The entry and interior were lined with lush bedding of grasses, leaves and boughs. It was obvious this sow took great care in building a winter home for her and her cubs.
Contributed/Susan Feeney-Hopkins
HEALTHY WEIGHT — Wildlife Biologist Randy Cross, left, and assistant Matt O’Neal weigh a sow female as part of their annual den visits and on-going study.
Cross had the sedative for the sow ready and approached the den carefully. Upon the injection we stood by silently in the wings, allowing time for the drug to take effect. The medication used is proven safe and per Cross they “only use enough, varying on the weight of the bear, to comfortably and safely” sedate the animal to allow for study.
This den housed a 178-pound, 14-year-old sow with two 39-pound yearling cubs. This was the 13th consecutive year that this sow, affectionately nicknamed “Spunky” due to her assertive personality, has been studied. Biologist Cross pointing his finger out to the lake and stunning scene that unfolded behind us explained “she was born on an island on Mooseleuk Lake” which was visible from our position at her den. Coincidentally or perhaps by the nature of things, Spunky’s den was overlooking her birthplace which offered a million dollar view.
Once sedated, Spunky and her year-old cubs were carefully removed from their den. Cross and his crew then became very focused to the task at hand. The female yearlings received new ear tags and radio collars, all were weighed and measured, and hair samples were taken which will be stored and used for genetic records and other potential uses.
The crew moved in sync and were fluent in their non-verbal communication. Each knew their specific duty and moved swiftly to gather the information needed as to allow the bears to be placed back in to their den as soon as possible. “We are a team” said Cross. This was Cross’s 29th year in the field as a wildlife biologist.
It is obvious by observation never mind his conversation, this man knows what he is doing and is an expert in his field. He is passionate about the scientific nature of his study and the conservation of “one of Maine’s most celebrated and treasured animals.”
The way Cross interacts with his understudies demonstrates his dedication to the current state of and the future interests of the study. Cross is nurturing the next generation of Maine wildlife biologists, specifically in the concentration of black bear. Under his guidance and watchful eye, they are learning the invaluable hands-on technical skills and knowledge they will need and carry throughout their careers and hopefully pass on to their successors ensuring the future of Maine’s wildlife management for generations. He is humble about his role and the importance he has played in Maine’s black bear study, just saying they “all work together for the common goal of maintaining and preserving Maine’s black bear population”. He’s one of the best things the Department and the state’s bears have going for them.
The crew on this day consisted of Biologist Cross who resides in Hancock. A devoted outdoorsman who wears the evidence of the dangers of his profession on his hands, Cross sports some scarring on his right hand inflicted by an unhappy yearling cub; which he kindly pointed out to me while we were tending to yearling cubs!
The “senior member” of the team is Lisa Bates. Otherwise known as “Kid,” she is “outstanding” says Cross. Bates originally from Patten, is covered in a wave of blond hair and could just as easily pursue a career in modeling. Not what you would typically expect of ‘a girl’ who was in fact, laying on her belly in a den full of bears. I was impressed with the wealth of knowledge she possessed and her savvy in the woods.
Matt O’Neal or “Moondog” as he is known on the crew has family roots from my town of Portage Lake. Matt, who graduated from Unity College in 2009 with a degree in wildlife biology, works on the crew as a first-year volunteer with the hopes of becoming a Maine wildlife biologist. For a rookie, Matt was confident and took real consideration in what he was doing.
Mike Wheeler of Hopkinton, N.H. rounded out the team. They call him “Thumper”. Mike graduated from St. Michaels College in Vermont in 2010 with a degree in biology and will be leaving Maine for Wisconsin in a few weeks to begin his work on sandhill and whooping cranes. Wheeler is also a first-year volunteer.
The next den we traveled to was that of a 3-year-old lone female. Her den took us a little further into the woods. It was an exhilarating hike in, the telemetry equipment leading our way. We communicated in hushed tones with the younger volunteers taking the lead. Bates, who has volunteered since 2006 is in tune with this equipment and led us directly to the den opening. This made me laugh to myself because I am sure I have ventured into bear den territory on more than one occasion while out skiing or snowshoeing. You could walk over her den a hundred times and not even know it was there.
Though considered “exposed,” her den was a bit more inconspicuous than the last being nestled under some downed trees covered in snowpack, in a tight spruce thicket, typical of our North Woods. This female, though given the sedative, bolted out of her den in a natural attempt to flee our intrusion. Calling her rotund is an understatement. She was a rolly-polly bear — as round as she was long. We allowed her 10 minutes to not cause her any more alarm, and used the telemetry equipment once again to locate her. She had not traveled far from her den when the drug took hold.
Like the others, the bear was re-collared, weighed and had hair samples taken. She weighed in at 102 pounds up from 53 pounds the year before. “She has doubled her weight” Cross said with an enthusiastic tone to his voice. All were ecstatic with the news as it proves this bear is healthy and doing well.
By this time, the sun was shining, the temperature had risen in to the balmy upper teens and I was full of life. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush of looking into a bear den with a flashlight and seeing glowing eyes looking back at you to make you feel alive!
Editor’s note: The second half of the bear monitoring article will run in a future issue of The Star-Herald.
