Fig 4. Comparison of total bear complaints, population size, and yearly rating of natural foods.

Bear complaints rose sharply as the population of bears rose (population estimates not available for most recent 2 years). Complaints were especially high in years when natural summer and fall foods for bears were sparse, and were low when foods were abundant. A sharp decline in complaints occurred during 1998–2000 when the MNDNR phased-in a policy against translocating bears and greatly reduced on-site visits (Fig 1). Reduced complaints also corresponded with fewer prime-age females in the population.