Distance-dependent effectiveness of diversionary bear bait sites

Baiting black bears (Ursus americanus) to sites outside a community can alleviate famine-induced spikes in human–bear conflicts. But little is known about effects of distance between baits and communities. Bears were lured out of towns in California’s Tahoe Basin to baits in adjacent forests. Delay between onsets of baiting and decline in bear–human conflict was directly related to each community’s distance from the nearest bait. The amount and rate that conflicts declined were inversely related to distance. In 7 communities about 1 km from a bait, conflicts declined 41% after 1 month and 93% after 3 months; mean rate of decline was 1.2% per day. In 3 communities ≥8 km from any bait, declines were delayed ≤2 months before falling at 0.6% per day (18% decline). Total conflicts in the year after baiting (n = 346) were 35% lower (n = 533) than in the year before baiting.