Yukon Hunting - Department of Environment - Government of Yukon

Defending Life or Property
If you are forced to kill a bear in defence of life or property you must report the kill to a
Conservation Officer as soon as possible. You will be required to submit the head and
the pelt with claws attached. For more information on your rights and obligations in
defending life and property, read the regulations applying to non-hunting kills on
page 27–28.
Population Outlook
Black bears are distributed from the B.C.-Yukon border to the northern tree line near
Old Crow. They are most numerous in the southern and central parts of the territory.
A rough estimate puts the Yukon black bear population at about 10,000 animals.
Yukon’s mountainous terrain tends to concentrate the range of the black bear. Unlike
the grizzly, this is a forest bear and its range in Yukon is confined to the river valleys and
their finger-like strips of forested habitat.
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.
Eat that bear
The law does not require you to save the meat when you kill a bear. But if you leave the
meat in the bush, you’re giving up a lot of decent meals. To eliminate the risk of trichinosis,
just cook the meat to an internal temperature of 150 F. If your bear has a strong flavour,
marinate the meat overnight or have it made into sausage. Pick up a copy of Yukon Bear
Bacon and Boot Grease Recipes for ideas and instructions.
Polar Bears
Throughout the winter, small numbers of polar bears hunt along a narrow strip of
Yukon’s Arctic coast, on Herschel Island, and on the offshore ice. In midsummer, these
bears move northward with the retreating edge of the ice pack.
In recent years, DNA testing has proven that grizzly and polar bears have been crossbreeding
in the wild. Their off-spring are known as “grolar” bears. These bears have the
same protection as polar bears.
Through their land claim agreement, the Inuvialuit of the western Arctic have the
exclusive right to harvest polar bears on the Yukon’s North Slope.
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