Black Ghosts of the Forest

The American black bear (Ursus americanus) of north central Utah occupies a habitat used for livestock grazing, logging, heavy recreational uses, and human habitation. We began this study in 1985 to determine the food habits, habitat use patterns, home range sizes, productivity, and general health of this population. Grasses and forbs provided the bulk of the spring diets. Animal matter was also a major component of their yearly diet. Litter size averaged 1.7 cubs per adult female during the 10 years of this study. Home range sizes for males was 3 times larger than for females. Five subadult males dispersed from our study area over distances ranging from 12 miles (20 km) to 57 miles (91 km). All were dead within 3 years. The purpose of this study was to answer basic questions and provide management recommendations to ensure the Hobble Creek-Diamond Fork black bear population will endure for many, many years.

These black bears live near a human population of 200,000 and stay almost conflict-free. We explored reasons why they stay good neighbors.