When black bears emerge from their dens in spring, they are often found foraging on sunny, south-facing slopes where they find over-wintered bear-berries or scavenge for winter-killed deer and moose. The first green grasses and sedges often sprout right at the edges of streams or in open wetland meadows making these areas attractive, as well. Because food is relatively scarce during spring, bears continue to lose weight until well into June.

In summer, black bears search for pockets of greenery in wet meadows along creeks and rivers, on avalanche slopes, in aspen forests and along marsh edges. As summer progresses, they spend a significant amount of time grubbing ants and beetle larvae out of fallen logs. Late in July or early in August, with the first ripening of huckleberries, blueberries, or other berries, black bears devote their attention to exploiting this high-energy food.

Fall is a critical time for black bears, when they enter a state of “hyperphagia”, attempting to pack on the pounds for the long winter sleep. As the berry crop succumbs to the first heavy frost, food supplies begin to dwindle.

Bears, particularly coastal bears, feed on spawning fish where these occur in reliable concentrations. Elsewhere, bears turn again to greenery, which often persists near water, and they wander widely looking for “gut piles” and wounded animals left by hunters.

Black bears retire to their winter dens early in November when snow begins to accumulate, or in coastal areas, when winter rains begin in earnest. During this period, bears do not usually eat or drink. Although some bears have been observed leaving their winter dens and feeding on winter-killed animals.

General Characteristics

Black bears are not mean or malicious; they are very gentle and tolerant animals. Mother bears are affectionate, protective, devoted, strict, sensitive and attentive with their young. Not unlike people, bears can be empathetic, fearful, joyful, playful, social and even altruistic.

Black bears are not as unpredictable and dangerous as Hollywood or the media would have us believe. Bears exhibit very predictable behavior. This trait can be beneficial to people who come into contact with bears.

Cubs, as well as older bears, engage in social play and have ritualistic mechanisms to meet strangers and decide if they're to be friends or not. Bears routinely distinguish between threatening and non-threatening human behavior. The same bear that casually empties your bird feeder while you watch from the window also successfully evades human predators during hunting season. This requires an extremely high level of intelligence.

Black bears communicate using body language, sounds and smells. Bears will treat humans just as they would other bears. The problem is, bears are very physical with each other, with the intentional use of bites, swats or body posturing.

Bears live in a rich and complex scent-defined world. They depend on their acute sense of smell for information about the world around them. Their smelling ability is extremely sensitive, with one hundred times more nasal mucosa area than a human. They can smell a source of food that is more than a mile away! A complex system of social messages are communicated through trails of airborne scent; scent transferred to twigs, branches and grasses; and scents left on purpose by tree rubbing or biting, as well as scat or urine marks. In the ursine world, these messages form the daily newspaper.

A bear's hearing ability is excellent, and like dogs, bears hear high pitches, exceeding human frequency range and sensitivity.

Bears see in color and have good vision, similar to humans.

Bears are fast; they can run downhill and uphill at speeds exceeding 30mph – faster than Olympic sprinters!

Bears are very strong and powerful animals; they have been known to bend open car doors and pry open windshields in their search for food. Bears routinely roll over huge rocks and logs in search of food.

Size, body weight and color vary between species and from habitat to habitat.

Behavior

Black bears are NOT ferocious. Bears are NOT mean or malicious. Bears are normally shy, retiring animals that have very little desire to interact with humans.

Black Bears are usually tolerant of people and often live near human settlements.

Black Bears are generally non-aggressive bears.

Black Bears have excellent tree climbing abilities and often use them to escape predators and other bears – threatened mothers send cubs climbing.

 Standing up on its hind legs allows a bear to get more information from its senses of smell, sight, and hearing. It is a sign of curiosity, not aggression.

Black bears are active mainly from dawn to dusk, but may be seen any time of day or night.

Most negative human-bear encounters are as a result of bears reacting defensively as opposed to them acting aggressively and can therefore be avoided.

Bears are very curious and will inspect odors, noises & objects to determine if they are edible or playthings.

Vocalizations from treed or trapped bears are usually FEAR MOANS and are often mistaken for growls.

Food & Fear dominate a bear's life. Most of a bear's day is spent foraging for food.

Food Habits

Do not feed bears! Conditioning bears to human food sources will eventually lead to trouble and often the death of the bear.

Although black bears are technically of the order Carnivora (meat-eaters), they are essentially omnivores (they eat just about anything).

Fish and meat are important sources of protein and fat. Although meat tops the list of high-quality food, most bears rely on chance carrion (including winter-killed animals).

Black bears spend most of their time feeding on vegetation, insects and other more reliable, although lower calorie food sources. Plant foods make up the majority of a bear's diet (sometimes as much as 90%).

Bears use a patchwork of habitats through the year, concentrating on different food sources as they come into season.

Habitat/Territory

North American black bears are creatures of the forest, preferring extensive wooded areas with a variety of fruit-and nut-producing species and small openings that promote fruiting of many shrub species. Lowlands and wetlands are important sources of succulent vegetation. Streams and pools are needed for drinking and cooling. Large trees with strong, furrowed bark are easily climbed refuges for spring black bear cubs. Old growth trees are preferred denning sites.

Black bears don't have exclusive territories that they defend from other bears. A bear may occupy a home range that overlaps the territories of other bears and simply choose to avoid the other bears most of the time. A bear's home range can change in size from one year to the next, or from one area to another, depending on the distribution of food and other resources. Male bears tend to range over larger territories, probably because of the wider area over which he can distribute his genes. Females with cubs will have smaller home ranges, especially with cubs-of-the-year, as they are not as mobile.

Reproduction

Breeding season is mid-May to early-July, with mating mainly occurring during June.

Delayed implantation keeps fertilized eggs from beginning development into embryos until around the start of denning season. If female bears do not attain sufficient body fat or weight, their embryos will not develop.

Cubs are born in January or February. Litter size is usually two, but ranges from one to four or more cubs. Cubs weigh 1/10 as much as human babies.

Mother bears are affectionate, protective, devoted, strict, sensitive, and attentive with their cubs.

Sub-adult females tend to stay within part of their mother's home range, while sub-adult males are usually discouraged from staying.

Black bear cubs usually stay with their mothers for up to 1.5 years.

Dispelling Behavior Myths

Bears have fascinated us for centuries. As one of the most adaptable and versatile mammals on earth, their behavior stirs fear, awe, wonder and curiosity in us. Unfortunately, there are still many myths surrounding the lives and behavior of bears which impact negatively on people's imagination.

Stories of ferocious attacks by blood-thirsty bears on defenseless hikers make great lead stories in the media. These attacks are usually involving Grizzly bears which are no longer found in California. The overwhelming sense conveyed in these stories is that all bears are dangerous, mean creatures that are an extreme threat to people in any circumstance. Of course, this is inaccurate.

Another commonly found myth is that bears are cuddly creatures of the woods that resemble the teddy bears we owned as children. While there is no doubt that bears hold the fascination to trigger childrens' imagination, it is important that the stories we share with our children be based on facts and not fiction.

We believe that a greater knowledge of the behavior, ecology and habitat needs of bears is crucial if we are to learn to co-exist peacefully with this magnificent creature.

Fact: Removing a “problem” bear and not the attractant (garbage, outdoor food, etc.) will only create a newly available habitat niche so another bear can move right back in, creating a vicious cycle of killing.

Myth: Carrying a rifle is safer than bear pepper spray.

Fact: Those injured defending themselves with bear pepper spray instead of firearms experienced shorter duration attacks and less severe injuries (US Fish and Wildlife Service).

Myth: One of the most dangerous encounters is getting between a mother black bear and her cubs.

Fact: Because black bears can tree their cubs, it is rare for them to injure a person in that situation. Chances are she may just bluff charge. You need to do whatever you can to show her that you are not a threat. Be quiet, make yourself smaller and retreat slowly.

Myth: Black bears that wander into inhabited areas such as campsites, rural towns, or cottage communities are dangerous.

Fact: It is nearly impossible for a bear to make its daily excursions without walking through someone's property. Bears may travel very far in their search for food. If you have stored your food and garbage properly, the bear will likely move on. Remember, problem bears aren't born they're made. If bears are hanging around, something is attracting them. Removing the attraction will usually solve the problem.

Don't attract bears to your property by fallen fruit left on the ground, dirty BBQs, or improperly stored pet food.

Put your garbage and recycling in bear-proof dumpsters or keep it indoors until you take it to the dump. Do not stockpile it.

Keep accessible doors and window closed and locked.

If you encounter a bear in an urban area, make lots of noise to encourage it to leave.

Keep an eye on your neighbors. Make sure they are following bear-smart practices.

In the Woods

Stay alert and aware. Obey all trail closures and information signs.

Avoid bears by making noise – and watch for bear signs.

Don't approach or crowd bears. Don't try to pet bears!

Be prepared – do your homework. Know how to react to an encounter or attack.

Carry bear spray as a first line of defense.

If you encounter a bear, remain calm, talk in a calm voice, back away slowly.

Don't feed bears. That means not leaving food scraps behind too.

When hiking, pack it in, pack it out -- keep food in bear-resistant containers.

When camping, dispose of garbage in a bear-proof container or hang it out of a bear's reach.

 In working with wild black bears for the past 29 years, I have generally become more and more comfortable with them as I learned their "language" and how they think. During the last 10 years, I have earned the trust of certain bears and bear families to the extent that they seem to ignore me as I walk and sleep with them for up to 24 hours at a time.

My thinking has evolved in much the way that other people have changed their attitudes towards gorillas. Both species have blustery, bluff charges that seldom end in contact but have helped earn them a reputation for being ferocious. Dian Fossey showed us that gorillas are mostly gentle, and we are learning the same thing about black bears. I now interpret aggressive displays by black bears in terms of their fear rather than mine. I try not to scare them and their fear turns into trust. Their most common aggressive displays are merely rituals that they perform when they are nervous.

This trust on my part took years of erasing the thoughts I grew up with. The outdoor magazines I read usually portrayed bears as dangerous and unpredictable. Official brochures that I thought were authoritative warned about the dangers of bears. Bears that were mounted in the finest museums showed unnatural snarls. When I began my studies, I had all the common misconceptions that come with a lifetime of misinformation.

Black bears have killed nearly three dozen people across North America this century, but this no longer worries me. My chances of being killed by a domestic dog, bees or lightening are vastly greater. My chances are 90,000 times greater of being murdered. One of the safest places a person can be is in the woods with bears.

In working closely with wild bears, we have been slapped occasionally, but black bears are not prone to bite. No black bear has ever come after me and bitten me. The slaps were not that damaging – usually ripped clothing and welts on the skin. This is nothing close to the folklore which states that a bear can disembowel a steer with a single swipe. The claws of black bears are strong for climbing trees but not sharp for holding prey.

A big revelation to me was how reluctant mothers are to defend their cubs against people on the ground. Defense of cubs is primarily a grizzly bear trait that people have generalized to black bears. We routinely capture black bear cubs in the presence of mothers and have never been attacked.

Up until the last 10,000 years, black bears survived by being continually ready to run from saber-toothed cats, dire wolves and short-faced bears. Black bears existed by staying out of open areas and near trees. The timid ones passed on their genes, creating the black bear of today. This inherent timidness continues to serve black bears well in the face of modern predators such as grizzly bears, timber wolves and people. When black bears are startled, they run away, often for a tree.

Despite all their timidness on the ground, black bears seem to feel more courageous in trees. After all, none of the huge predators that they evolved with could climb. Bears sometimes kill each other by throwing their opponents out of trees. The bear below has the advantage because the bear above cannot easily hang on and face downward to fight back. The bear below seems confident of the advantages and mothers have even come up trees after people who thought climbing was prudent. On the other hand, bears that are above an opponent seem to feel at a disadvantage. The consequences of this in capturing bears in trees for research was that no matter how large the bear – we always had to pursue them all the way to the tops of the trees. They just wanted to get away.

If mother black bears with cubs are no problem, what's the story behind the killings and injuries we've heard about? I put them in two categories -- offensive attacks, which are very rare, and defensive actions, which are easily avoided.

Offensive attacks include all of the killings. These are generally unprovoked predatory attacks. Most victims were eaten. These attacks have almost always been in remote areas where the bears had little or no previous contact with people. Bears that raid campgrounds or garbage cans are almost never involved. The rarity of the killings goes along with the non-confrontational, timid disposition that's been bred into black bears. But why approximately one black bear in 600,000 becomes a killer is a mystery. None of the killers had rabies. Some had physical problems, but that's common. Some were skinny, but in some years whole populations are hungry and starving with no attacks. There is no consistent explanation. Fortunately, there are fewer dangerous bears than there are dangerous people.

What can you do in the rare case of being attacked by a black bear? Fight back. Predators are not angry and are cautious to avoid injury. Play dead only in the even rarer case of being attacked by an angry mother.

Will black bears attack because they sense a person is afraid? No. Most people who encounter bears close up are afraid, and attacks are rare anyway. The idea that bears will attack if they think we're vulnerable is an idea conjured up out of our own fear. Black bears aren't territorial towards people and usually behave like they're worried they'll be attacked.

Black bears look ominous when they approach. They look like their hackles are up but this is only because their underfur makes all of their fur stand up. Often they have a ridge of guard hairs standing up on the back of their neck and spine. This is the last of their old fur to be shed, so it is simply longer that the rest of their fur. When half-tame bears approach out of simple curiosity, they often walk slowly with their eyes glued on the person, which looks disconcertingly like they are stalking - but it's just the way they look.

What are defensive actions? These are the situations when bears treat aggressive people in the way that they would treat other bears who had bad manners. These include the times when we were swatted while capturing or crowding bears during research. Incidents in national parks usually involve crowding or petting. Wild bears don't understand petting because they are solitary animals that don't do mutual grooming. Typical incidents involve people offering food to hungry half-tame bears to lure them closer than the bears feel comfortable. When the bear opens its mouth to take the food, a fearful person often involuntarily jerks the food back. If the bear is hungry enough, he might make a quick move to get it and bite the hand too, causing a bruise. Another scenario involves half-tame bears feeding from the hand calmly until the food is gone then suddenly feeling crowded without the distraction of the food. Too fearful to turn their backs and leave, they slap defensively, giving themselves an instant afterward to turn and run.

It's easy to avoid defensive actions -- just don't entice hungry, half-tame bears any closer than the bears feel comfortable.

Bears that come into campgrounds are usually hungry and half-tame but I have never had any problem simply chasing them away. No matter how bold they seemed, they still recognized aggressive behavior and ran away when someone yelled and ran towards them. If people are hesitant to chase bears, throwing sticks in the brush to make them think that another bear might be coming helps to unnerve them. Hitting them with rocks is effective and is better than letting them get into bad campground habits that could get them shot. I have never seen a black bear that would hesitate to retreat when people came running and yelling at it. A study in Yosemite National Park showed the same thing that we learned – the more aggressive a person is to campground bears, the more timid they become.

Although bears have injured people in national parks and campgrounds where food is scarce, I've never heard of an injury at a garbage dump. When there is so much food around it's hard to tempt them with food. More importantly, only those bears that feel comfortable will come close. Most dumps are closed to the public now, but for decades, people and bears mingled daily at hundreds of dumps with hardly a problem.

As people learn more about black bears, old fears are being replaced with understanding. Attitudes are improving. Fewer people are so fearful that they shoot bears for simply showing their faces. Bounties on bears and other predators have become less common. However, people are moving into bear country in unprecedented numbers - buying cabins for recreation or as primary residences, conducting business via computers, modems and fax machines. The attitude of the increasing rural populations will play a large part in future black bear numbers.

Can we co-exist with black bears? The residents of Hemlock Farms, Pennsylvania suggest we can. Seven thousand residents share their seven square mile town with over 20 black bears. That's three bears per square mile, a higher density than is found in any national park. The bears are being studied by biologist Dr. Gary Alt, who finds bears hibernating under people's porches and in their back yards, often without the residents' knowledge. In the summer, people have thousands of “encounters” – that is, they see bears. But in this town it's not considered a problem -- they enjoy seeing the bears.

© Dr. Lynn Rogers

Each year in the USA and Canada:

1 in 16,000 people commit murder

1 in 35,000 grizzly bears have killed a human

1 in 100,000 black bears have killed a human

(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)