Yukon Hunting - Department of Environment - Government of Yukon

Wildlife managers are working to reduce the harvest of female bears and the number of
bears that are destroyed each year because of human-bear conflicts. The reproductive
rate of the species is so low that the loss of a few female bears can have a significant
impact on a population.
Please see the request for kill locations and hide samples on page 6.
Southern Lakes Grizzly Bear Study
The Yukon government, in collaboration with First Nations in the area, is conducting
a grizzly bear population study in the Southern Lakes area. (See page 4.) Though the
study focuses on grizzly bears, black bears may also inadvertently be caught in traps.
Hunters eating bear meat need to be aware of potential human health concerns
associated with immobilization drugs used in research activities. If you intend to eat the
meat of a bear that you have harvested from the Southern Lakes or surrounding area,
check the gums for lip tattoos. If the bear has a tattoo, record the number and contact
Environment Yukon. We will be able to tell you if it is safe to eat the meat.
One Grizzly Bear Every Three Years
The bag limit for grizzly bears in all open subzones is one bear every three licence years.
This means if you shoot a grizzly bear in the 2012–13 season you cannot take another
grizzly bear anywhere in Yukon until the 2015–16 season.
Selecting Males
It is difficult to judge the sex of a bear in the field. Unless you have considerable
experience distinguishing males from females, AVOID HUNTING BEARS THAT ARE
TRAVELING TOGETHER. Bears travel together as spring breeding pairs, as recently
weaned two- or three-year-olds, and as families consisting of females with new cubs,
yearlings, or two-year-old offspring.
If you do encounter a solitary bear, these tips may help you determine its sex:
u Adult male grizzly bears are generally dark; they have smooth fur, tiny ears, wide
shoulders, square heads, and long necks.
u A female urinates behind her back legs. A male urinates in front of his back legs.
u Grizzly bears found in high alpine areas are most likely to be females.
To help you learn more about identifying the sex and age of Yukon grizzly bears, a
68-minute video, Take A Closer Look, is available on loan from your community library
or Environment Yukon office. Copies may be purchased from the Yukon Fish and Game
Association for $25 by phoning (867) 667-4263.
Garbage kills bears
When a bear learns that people produce tasty garbage, it becomes a threat to all of us.
Sooner or later, that spoiled bear will have to be killed. Bears deserve better treatment
than that. So please pack all of your garbage out of the bush. Burying flattened cans does
not work. Bears and other animals will soon dig up the site.
It is an offence under the Wildlife Act to leave food, garbage or other attractants available
to bears or other dangerous wildlife. Leaving garbage in the backcountry is also an offence
under the Environment Act.
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