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Memorandum 



State of Alaska, July 1, 1971. 

 To : Reviewers, Polar Bear Management Policy. 

 From : Jack W. Lentfer, Game Biologist, Barrow. 

 Subject : Polar Bear Management Policy. 



The Species Management Policy for polar bears suggests some changes from 

 present management practices. This memo and the accompanying extract from 

 a Department statement prepared for the Board are to provide additional in- 

 formation when considering these changes. I will discuss changes under three 

 categories : 



elimination of aikcbaft hunting and alternatives 



A basic objective of the Management Policy is that polar bear hunting should 

 furnish a high-quality, esthetically acceptable type of hunting. I do not believe 

 the Department should classify a type of hunting whereby planes are used to 

 track bears and then drive them to hunters as high-quality recreation. As long 

 as hunting with aircraft is permitted. I do not believe that hunting methods will 

 change. Flying is specialized enough that only a relatively few pilot-guides want 

 to do it. The present method of hunting is so profitable, based on fees which can 

 be obtained in relation to investment in equipment, effort expended, and high 

 success ratio, that even with restrictions on use of aircraft, present pilot-guides 

 would probably not change their methods. The difficulties of monitoring activ- 

 ities of airborne hunters on the high seas also preclude changes in hunting 

 methods. If it were possible to control activities of airplane hunters to some de- 

 gree, the cost and effort required by the Department to do so in relation to the 

 type of hunting which would thereby be perpetuated, should be considered. 



Other methods of hunting which would more closely fit the primary objective 

 of quality recreation are proposed. The most desirable would be development 

 of ground hunting, either by dogteam or snow machine. A few Bskimosi at Point 

 Hope and Wainwright are capable of providing guided ground hunts now, and 

 more would probably be able to if there were more of a demand. Hunting could 

 start in the late fall, after pregnant females that were going to den along the 

 coast had done so, and continue through the winter and spring. Although hunt- 

 ing pressure, degree of success, and the total harvest would be less than with air- 

 plane hunting, there would be a potential for a substantial harvest. The average 

 annual harvest for 1925-53 as taken from reports of the Alaska Game Commis- 

 sion, was 117. This was before aircraft were used to any extent, and most ani- 

 mals were taken by Eskimos using dogteams. Hunters using aircraft today un- 

 doubtedly take a certain number of bears that would be available to shore based 

 hunters if aircraft were not used. With elimination of aircraft hunting and de- 

 velopment of ground hunting, it is ix>ssible that harvests by ground hunters in 

 the magnitude of the 1925-53 era would occur. 



Hunting from boats is another alternative to hunting with use of aircraft. I 

 believe ground hunting is somewhat preferable to boat hunting from the stand- 

 point of quality and esthetics, but I believe boat hunting is decidedly better than 

 airplane hunting. I would recommend that the season remain open in the sum- 

 mer, so that if a person wanted to hunt by boat he might be able to do so by 

 making arrangements with one of the few persons on the north Alaska coast with 

 a boat capable of getting into the edge of the ice pack in the summer. I would 

 not recommend that the Department encourage commercial operators to invest 

 in equipment to provide boat hunting on a large scale. If it appears that this 

 might occur, I believe the Department should reconsider boat hunting and per- 

 haps modify the Species Management Policy based on the amount of hunting 

 and harvest provided by hunting along the coast from the ground. If ground 

 hunting provides a substantial harvest and associated recreation, it might not be 

 desirable to have large scale boat hunting develop. 



A question sometimes arises as to the quality of hides from bears taken in 

 the summer. Quality is inferior to winter hides. However, they apparently are 

 acceptable as trophies as evidenced by the success of boat hunting in Spits- 

 bergen waters in the summer. 



