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Black Bears

Winter Dens

Bears den in a variety of places. If you suspect something is a den, look for a bed of leaves, although not all bears make beds if they den after…

Summer Beds

Bears generally bed away from people and other bears. In cold weather, especially in spring when the ground is still frozen, they insulate themselves from the ground by raking up…

Feeding Sign

Bear “nests” are clusters of broken branches from feeding and are not where bears rest. They are made when a bear sits in a crotch of the tree and pulls…

Straddle Trees and Bushes

One way bears leave scent is by straddling saplings and bushes as they walk, urinating on the vegetation as it passes beneath them. This is done by bears of both…

Marking Trees and Poles

Black bears of all ages and both sexes rub their scent on marking trees, including wooden sign posts and utility poles, but the majority of this marking is by mature…

Scat / Droppings

People are always surprised to find that black bear scats do not have an unpleasant smell if the bears ate only fruit, nuts, acorns, or vegetation. In those cases, the…

Bear Tracks and Trails

Bears walk on the soles of their soft feet, so they often do not leave distinct tracks unless they walk through soft mud or snow. Black bear paw Bears have…

Bears as Imaginary Dragons

There may be something within us that wants to imagine dangerous animals to prove our courage against them. People used to imagine dragons. Today, outdoor writers, artists, and others profit…

Internet Hoax

Marc Falco, Open Season, June 8, 2003, Reprinted from The Standard Times, New Bedford, Massachusetts The Hoax Over the past few weeks, several well-meaning readers sent me an e-mail with…

Folklore

Bears are part of human culture. Perhaps no other group of animals has excited the human imagination in so many ways. Although none of the popular images of bears reflect…

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Black Bears

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