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Habitat Utilization And Seasonal Movements Of Black Bears In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Patrick C. Carr

Masters Theses

A radiotelemetry study to determine seasonal movements and habitat utilization of black bears (Ursus americanus) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was undertaken from June 1980 to May 1982. Annual home range size in a year of poor hard mast production was 119 km² and 13 km² for males and females, respectively, and 36 km² and 6 km² in a year of good hard mast production. Bear movements were governed by seasonal food availability. Bears exhibited an affinity to summer home ranges but traveled to widely dispersed fall ranges. Seasonal range shifts were more evident …

Habitat Utilization And Movement Ecology Of Black Bears In Cherokee National Forest, R. Steven Garris

Masters Theses

Home range, movements, and habitat use of black bears in the Cherokee National Forest were monitored from June 1980 through December 1981.

In 1980, home range sizes averaged 192 km² for male bears and 23 km² for females, whereas the average range in 1981 for males was 60 km² and 15 km² for females. Larger ranges for males likely reflect a social structure that enhances reproduction. Differences in home range sizes between years was attributed to the availability and abundance of hard mast, especially acorns. Both sexes exhibited seasonal shifts in range use between summer and …

Reproduction And Denning Of Black Bears In The Great Smoky Mountains, William Gregory Wathen

Masters Theses

The reproductive biology and denning ecology of black bears were studied in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Cherokee National Forest. The majority of information was collected from 36 radio-instrumented females monitored from June 1980 to May 1982.

Females entered dens from 21 November to 16 January (x=20 December, n=38), and emerged from 18 March to 4 May (x=10 April, n=41), for an average denning period of 113 days. Females with newborn cubs denned significantly longer (P< 0.001) than other females. Tree denning females emerged later and remained in dens longer than others.

Twenty-five ground dens and 33 tree dens were examined. Significant differences (P< 0.005) in den utilization were observed between winters, with more tree dens being utilized during the winter of 1980-81 (79.3%) than in the winter of 1981-82 (34.5%).

Females in estrus were captured from 22 June to 12 …