Abstract
Abstract Harvest data provide readily available and relatively inexpensive information about populations of game species. However, these data are not necessarily representative of standing populations and may have limited applicability in management. We applied a method of harvest data analysis based on the changing sex ratio of the harvest with age to American black bear (Ursus americanus) harvest data from 1985–2005 in Montana. We assessed the ability of this method to identify assumption violations and the extent of resulting bias. A change in the relative vulnerability of females at primiparity due to protection of mothers with cubs from harvest was observable as a drop in the proportion of females in the harvest at the age of maturity. A changing harvest rate produced changing harvest rate estimates, but the estimates lagged up to 10 years behind the actual rate. Other assumption violations, such as unequal non-harvest mortality between sexes and stochasticity in the harvest rate, are not apparent in...
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