Project: Abundance and Density of Black Bears in the Southern Appalachian Highlands of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee

Clark J. 2018. Project: Abundance and Density of Black Bears in the Southern Appalachian Highlands of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. National Park Service

Hair samples from black bears will be collected from barbed-wire hair snares. Hair snares for all study areas will consist of enclosures comprised of 2 strands of 15.5-gauge, high-tensile barbed wire with 4 prongs per barb stretched around 3–5 trees. Crews will position strands 35–40 and 65–70 cm above the ground and will block variations in the terrain (e.g., small gullies, mounds) with vegetation and woody debris to prevent bears from crossing over or under the wires. A food reward (bakery products) and a scent lure consisting of a tampon or scrap of cloth immersed in Mother Murphy’s ® artificial flavoring will be hung from a line that will span the enclosure. Hair samples will be placed in coin envelopes and stored at room temperature prior to analysis. Lighters and propane torches will be used to burn any remaining hair off the barbs after each hair collection occasion. All hair snares will be checked and re-baited weekly for 6 consecutive weeks, beginning in June of each year.

Type
Generic Dataset
Authors
Clark, Joseph
Date of Issue
2018-05-21
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
GRSM
Keywords
APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Bears, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, Hair Snare, Origin:External, SER, Southeast Region, StudyID:GRSM-01295
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals

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