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I live about 100 yards from a large forest - a State Game Land where wildlife are protected - that covers hundreds of square miles. Bear and a lot of deer from there, as well as small game, visit us fairly often, the deer often with a fawn or two.
My parents lived about halfway between me and the edge of the woods and used to have bear in their yard close enough to the side door that my mother used to look out at them almost eye to eye.
I've been hoping I'd get to see some, too, but not yet.
Yesterday, in the snow in the alley behind my house [with woods across the alley] I found a set of bear tracks coming from the woods, going past my back yard, turning around behind my neighbor's back yard, and going back to the woods.
My dogs had alerted me to something in the air. Both are bird dogs with excellent noses. I assumed they were concerned about rabbits or squirrels, as usual, or perhaps a feral cat, but something different in their behaviour made me look down to the alley, where I saw the tracks. One set.
I was both pleased that it came by and disappointed that I missed it. I would have thought they'd be in hibernation now, but we have been having an early winter for a couple of weeks now, so that probably explains why it was here.
Is it a particularly bad winter that's bringing them closer to town?
Ever since my son was... never conceived, because I've never had consensual sex without money involved... I've always kind of looked at you as... a thing, that I could live next to... in accordance with state laws.
Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 22:07 - Dec 29 by Banosswan
Is it a particularly bad winter that's bringing them closer to town?
I don't think so. When I lived at my family's home, the bears came around at any time but in deeper winter.
It is possible that this fairly hard winter - so early - might have disrupted their hibernation schedule, or somehow disrupted their feeding before hibernation. I don't really know.
I will look up their usual hibernation dates in order to answer you. Here's one:
What Triggers Hibernation in Pennsylvania Black Bears?
Q: I was wondering what triggers a bear to go into hibernation. Also, do bears in Florida, and other warm states hibernate, or do they just become less active? Rick Epler, of Hummelstown.
A: Food availability, or more precisely a diminishing supply of food, is the trigger for black bears - the species running wild across Pennsylvania - to enter the state that we layman call hibernation.
Scientists view the condition more as a partial hibernation or winter lethargy, because it is a lighter sleep than that exhibited by some hibernating rodents.
All black bears, even those in the relatively small population in Florida, "hibernate" in response to dwindling food supplies during the winter.
In the southern U.S., and other milder climate areas, the period of "hibernation" usually is much shorter than here in Pennsylvania, because there is a shorter period of food scarcity in those milder climate areas.
While the black bear is capable of going without eating, drinking, urinating, defecating or moving significantly for as much as a hundred days, those in Florida - except for pregnant females - usually hibernate for just a few weeks to a month.
In all climates, those bears that have had a more difficult time of finding abundant food in the fall and thus enter "hibernation" in poor condition will emerge much sooner than those with abundant fat reserves on their bodies.
Hibernation sites can range from blow-downs to tree cavities to dense thickets of shrubs to open ground.
I’m not exactly sure there is a date that you can point at and say bears will start hibernating then. The bear canister regulation in the Adirondack High Peaks runs from April 1 — November 30, so I would assume that most years, bears become inactive by the end of November there. I think it has more to do with the temperatures and availability of food than anything else. Something to keep in mind is that bears don’t hibernate fully and do sometimes come out of their dens in the middle of winter, generally during a thaw.
p.s., I'm more southern and at a somewhat lower altitude than the Adirondak High Peaks, so I'd assume that this late December visit isn't too far out of line.
The early snows this year complicate that. I've had snow most days (and nights) for about two weeks, once 6" on the ground, and several times about 2". This bear was behind my house after a snowfall of about 2".
Your suggestion that it was here looking for food has some merit. Because we do see bear fairly often, people don't leave garbage outside except the night before the weekly pickup.
Once, before I started using a metal trash can some years ago, my garbage bag was torn apart overnight. I don't know what kind of animal did it, but dogs do not run loose here anymore, so a bear is not too much of a stretch.
I noticed before I read Banosswan's post that someone had given this thread a down arrow. Now why in hell did my O.P. it deserve a down arrow? A stalker, probably. Fukin' dimwit.
Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 03:43 - Dec 30 by CountyJim
Are black bears likely to attack humans Dav or would they more likely shy away
Black Bears are not normally a threat to humans. Few attacks over the years.
As usual with most wild animals, they will avoid rather than attack - except a mother defending young, of course. People who live in Black Bear areas tend to know to leave them alone.
When I went to visit my daughter in Montana we encountered bears (they looked to be large and black), but they were some way off. We could definitely hear them close to the cabin at night 'foraging'. We were told somewhat belatedly not to go out walking without bear repellent so I guess they do attack sometimes. She had an extremely close meeting with a bear whilst camping ...one ambled across the path in front of her - she said it was 'bloody big'. We seldom get such excitement in Limeslade :(
'Sorry, your password must contain a capital letter, two numbers, a symbol, an inspiring message, a spell, a gang sign, a hieroglyph and the blood of a virgin"
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Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 16:51 - Dec 31 with 550 views
Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 09:43 - Dec 31 by swanny
When I went to visit my daughter in Montana we encountered bears (they looked to be large and black), but they were some way off. We could definitely hear them close to the cabin at night 'foraging'. We were told somewhat belatedly not to go out walking without bear repellent so I guess they do attack sometimes. She had an extremely close meeting with a bear whilst camping ...one ambled across the path in front of her - she said it was 'bloody big'. We seldom get such excitement in Limeslade :(
I don't know about Montana, but the Appalachians (where I live) are one of the areas more populated by Black Bears. There are Grizzlies in Montana, and they can be huge.
Black Bears are the smallest of the North American bears, but some good-sized Black Bears have been taken by hunters. I used to subscribe to the Pennsylvania Game Commission which reported record sizes, but no longer do.
Here's the link to the PA Game Commission's web page on Black Bears. Some interesting information there:
'Sorry, your password must contain a capital letter, two numbers, a symbol, an inspiring message, a spell, a gang sign, a hieroglyph and the blood of a virgin"
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Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 17:15 - Dec 31 with 524 views
Black Bear behind my house yesterday on 16:54 - Dec 31 by Jackfath
Have you thought of setting up a cam to see if you can get any footage Dav? I would love to see the results.
I have a motion picture camera that does slow motion, but I haven't tried it yet. I might look into it, but I seriously doubt the bear will be back. I'm at an extreme edge of their range, and that can be considerable.
We're having a good snowfall right now, so I'll have a look in the morning for tracks.
Here's a short article about the biggest Black Bear taken in Pennsylvania - 772 pounds! This was taken during bear season this year.
I can't suggest an average because the weight depends on the bear's age and gender as well as other factors. I'd say the average Black Bear goes around 200+ pounds.
For years, there was a stuffed bear in my grandmother's house - taken by either my grandfather or my uncle, I'm not sure who - and later it was in my parents' house until the fur got too ratty [due to the age of the taxidermy]. It was standing, and about my size as a teenager - about 5'8" or so tall.
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