Bears

Do we have to worry about bears?

I have always been fascinated by seeing black bears while hiking in the woods.  Let me share some of my encounters and a little knowledge about bears with you. 

Black bears, Ursus americanus, are wild animals, and we must respect them in their native habitat. They can be very unpredictable, and you never want to assume every bear will react to you the same way every time.   Their behavior can depend on their age, sex, time of day, and whether the bear is just having a bad day.  Only about 60 people have been killed by black bears since 1900.

I have had lots of encounters with bears in my years of hiking the eastern United States.   I am not an authority on black bears behavior, but I can tell you what I have experienced.

Black bears, with their large heads and short ears, can weigh on an average of 200 to 550 pounds.   Their large canine teeth are used for holding and tearing food.  On their front and hind legs are large nine-inch, non-retractable black claws.  On the trail one day I found a small bear cub.  It was the size of a football, and its ears and claws were almost full grown.   It gave a sound like a newborn calf.   I could hear the mother calling back to the cub from a safe distance away.   I have found that mother black bears are not as protective of their young as grizzly bears.   Black bears have very good vision and sense of smell.   I have seen a bear swim across a large lake, and they are known to be able to run at speeds up to thirty miles per hour.   They can stand up on two legs and hop over a two-foot tall roadway guard rail.  There are approximately 750,000 bears in North America with 300,000 of them in the United States.  Bears are usually active during the early and late day hours.  Unlike the grizzly, the black bear is an excellent tree climber.  I once saw a bear climb a fifty foot tree in only seconds.  Most black bears live to be eighteen years old.

Black bears are omnivores, eating plants, insects, fruit, nuts, honey, fish, and small animal life.   Bears often tear the bark off of trees looking for insects to eat.    I have been stung by yellow jackets from a nest that a bear disturbed along the trail.  Bears like to eat the yellow jacket grubs, and because their fur is too thick to feel the sting, the bees may attack the next hiker who comes by.

Bear boxes for food storage are often placed in hiking and camping areas with the most bear activity.   The food is well protected because bears do not have the dexterity to flip the latch on the door.  Hanging food by a rope in a tree is discouraged because bears have learned a way to knock the food out of the tree.

About 85 % of a bear's diet is plant material.  Berries and seeds are good examples of what was left behind by this bear.  Bears have been known to eat their fill of berries in a wild blueberry patch.  If you stop to eat wild blueberries be sure you keep an eye open for them.  Before winter hibernation, bears usually eat large amounts of woody materials to aid in the production of a fecal plug.  This plug keeps them from going to the bathroom during winter time.  A bear will gain up to thirty pounds of brown fat before hibernation.  There are more stored calories in brown fat.

In areas where there have been lots of bear sightings, hikers are often warned with bear posting signs on trees.

It is easy to identify bear scat along the trail.   There are few animals that leave their calling card this large.

Bears are not true hibernators, but they do sleep for the majority of the winter months.  They can and do come out of their den when disturbed or when they get hungry.   A pregnant female will try to kick the male out of the den.

Bears mate in November and birth their young in January or February.   I found a cub on the Appalachian Trail in early March.  The females usually bare new young every other year.   The cub stays with its mother for about eighteen months.

Bears find caves or hollowed out logs to spend the winter.  Several times I have walked within feet of a sleeping bear on the trail.

I have found that bears are just as happy to run away from you, as you want to run from them.   I have walked up to a mother with cubs, and she ran one way while the cub went the other.   
Bears for the most part are very quiet while walking in the woods, and you have to be very observant and quiet to see them.

People often ask me what should you do if you encounter a bear.  This is what I would do....

• Do not panic.
• Carry bear spray.
• Try to make yourself as big as possible.
• Do not throw food.
  
• Make lots of noise.
• Throw large sticks and rocks.
  
• Back away slowly.
• Try not to run.
• Do not climb a tree.
• Do not walk alone in bear country.