All six radio-collared bears made it through the fall hunting season, which ran from September 1 through October 13. Statewide, it was the lowest bear kill in years at 1,852 bears. The low kill followed a near record kill of nearly 5,000 bears the year before. An abundance of natural foods further contributed to the low kill, making hunters' baits less attractive then in some years.

We tried to protect radios-collared research bears by asking hunters not to shoot them. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources included a similar request in each hunter's information packet. We further protected the research bears by putting out high quality baits to attract those bears away from hunters' baits. Hunters were baiting to kill bears, and we were baiting to save them. We didn't hear of any hunters seeing any radio-collared bears, and we thank all those who contributed food.

The six radio-collared bears include Shadow, the matriarch of the study area at 13 years of age. Mid to late January is the usual time for giving birth, so she could be giving birth as I write this on January 22. In a week or so, we will listen at her den entrance for any new sounds.

Shadow's daughter Black heart, now 6, is in a den under the upturned roots of a leaning cedar tree with her two daughters and one son from last year. Her yearlings - Braveheart, Valiant, and Shylow -- will get radio-collars this spring after they emerge.

Shadow's daughter RC, now 4, is denning above ground approximately where she denned last year and should also be giving birth. She went in to the den weighing over 300 pounds, which is plenty of weight to produce cubs. RC is a bit of a mystery bear because she trusts me in the location where she got to know me, but I have never been able to see her elsewhere. Whenever I have tried to home in on her radio signal, I hear a strengthening signal until I can almost see her. Then, the signal fades as she slips away without a sound.

Wild bears that have learned to trust researchers have not shown a propensity to seek out people and have not lost their natural instincts for foraging. The protection that researchers give them during hunting seasons enables them to live longer than average. We are hoping that this year, with cubs, she will broaden her area of trust an allow close observation of her habitat use and foraging habits. The information she can provide will benefit black bears forever through a better understanding of their ecology and behavior.

Shadow's daughter Hazel, now 2, denned in a rock cave that should last for centuries. Chances that Hazel will ever use it again are about 1 in 20, but we recorded the coordinates so that researchers can check it in the future to learn more about re-use of these long-lasting dens. Shadow's granddaughters Dot and Donna (Blackheart's daughters), now 3, are in dens nearly four miles apart near the north and south edges of Blackheart's territory. They weighed over 200 pounds last fall, which is heavy enough to produce cubs, but their young age reduces their chances to less than 50 percent.