WhenPantsAttack t1_j2dvr8v wrote on December 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM

Reply to comment by fosburyflop in Wild bears population size across the US and the EU. The US has 340 000 wild bears (300 000 Black bears, 33 000 Brown/Grizzly bears, 7 000 Polar bears). The EU has 15 500 wild bears (zero Black bears, 15 500 Brown/Grizzly bears, zero Polar bears). 2008-2022 data 🇺🇸🇪🇺🗺 [OC] by maps_us_eu

The number of bears is South Dakota is much too high, but the Black Hills Nations Forest does have a semi-permanent black bear population in recent years.

fosburyflop t1_j2dvtsa wrote on December 31, 2022 at 3:13 PM

No they don't, show me a source that says otherwise.

Edit: Unless you mean 10-15 sightings a year of probably the same black bear constitutes a "semi-permanent" population.

WhenPantsAttack t1_j2dyezd wrote on December 31, 2022 at 3:33 PM

You're right. They have yet to confirm a breeding population, but sightings have gone from nonexistent 20 years ago, to 15 a year in populated areas and have been confirmed to be multiple bears. I'd say 10-15 yearly sightings of confirmed multiple bears in populated areas, constitutes a semi-permanent (I specifically didn't say permanent) population. That's to mention that the Game and Fish really isn't actively monitoring them and there's a lot of open space in area. Heck, even the SD Game and Fish has active warnings and instructions for what to do in case of the black bear sighting. Compare to ND that might have one sighting every two years.

fosburyflop t1_j2e0ifd wrote on December 31, 2022 at 3:48 PM

Ok now we're just arguing semantics. Yes, there probably are one or two black bears currently living in South Dakota; whether you want to call that a semi-permanent population is up to you.

Doesn't change the fact that the OP's data is completely laughable to anyone who's spent time outdoors in Wyoming or South Dakota, which is the real issue here.