Black bears ~ in Dec???

[CanuckShooter]

A couple shots taken from my back door today...the wife said the smaller of the two cubs looked like it was in distress. I am thinking something must have run them out of their den? In all of my years living here I have never seen a black bear in December before. Thinking of tracking them tomorrow and seeing how they made out as the last time they were seen was in the small copse of trees next to our house.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/dec_bear_010.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=21463&size=big&cat=500)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/dec_bear_011.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=21464&size=big&cat=500)

[landphil]

Those cubs look awfully small for this late in the year as well, at least that's how it looks in the pictures.

[jag]

Try back tracking them a little and let us know if you find anything interesting.
thanks

[Moose Guide]

We've got a Grizz around here right now(north of Kaslo)

[308Lover]

That's a sad sight. Hope they can den up soon.

[hunter1947]

Hope she and the little ones get denned up real soon ,I would think the same thing as you Cunuck Shooter something happed for her and the cubs to be this late out this time of the year.

Many things could have made her leave the den a tree might have fallen over when they where under denned up or something else..

[CanuckShooter]

Update: They swam the river...and climbed a steep bank near six feet high, they have gone into the copse of trees beside the house and I am hoping she had a den in there from last season. We had a couple of sows with twin cubs hanging around all year and this may be one of them.

The water flow is quite brisk where they swam and I suspect the cubs had a hard time crossing.

[Gunner]

Just before the end of Region 8 whitetails(Nov.30th),we found 3 seperate black bear tracks and one set of grizzly tracks.I think that the big sockeye run in the Shuswap kept them out later this year as there are still lots of frozen fish around. Gunner

[Drillbit]

If they don't make it, at least you'll finally be able to feed your dogs:)

[LukaTisus]

I saw a big male blackbear in the middle of February here, once. Imagine my surprise when I'm headed down a trail to the store, turn 'round a pile of snow and come face to face with HIM. LOL Weirdest thing I'd ever seen.

[.330 Dakota]

Call Dave Suzuki right away, tell him you have to save a rare white squirrel, pack him a tuna sandwich, give him a smelt net and show him to the bears

[takla1]

black bears are still up and moving around in the LML.the last weekend we were b-t hunting our spot and came across a big set of bear prints about 1000 ft up the mountain,he was rolling around in the snow in a couple places,and we shot 2 black tail higher up and he cleaned up both gut piles.He hasnt gone to bed yet!

[LukaTisus]

I think boars tend to stay out longer than the sows with cubs? It is kind of odd to see a sow out this time of year with two young things like that, they really are quite small. Maybe she was late having them last spring, or had a bad time finding enough forage this summer? Hopefully the little ones make it.

[BlacktailStalker]

Today I cut 5 different sets of black bear tracks DEEP in the mountains.
I saw one cub who cant be more than 20lbs alone sitting on the snow bank along the river, in the exact same spot I saw him/her over 2 weeks ago while feeding on the last of a chum carcass.
Sadly, without a mother it will die as there is over 2' of snow and no food what so ever.
It doesnt have near enough body mass to make it through winter and has no clue about hibernating.
I unwrapped all the granola bars from a half full box I keep in the truck and threw them to the other side (he had run away, the hounds could smell him and were going nuts)
My friend shot a 616lb black bear yesterday afternoon with his bow, officially weighed at the concrete plant in town here. Unbelievable.

So, lots of bears out still, more than triple I remember seeing in previous years at this time.

[Deer_Slayer]

Where are you located? Some bears around the North Shore area of Vancouver are not denning at all. Last couple of years there are reports of bears being seen in January here.

[husky30-06]

I saw a big male blackbear in the middle of February here, once. Imagine my surprise when I'm headed down a trail to the store, turn 'round a pile of snow and come face to face with HIM. LOL Weirdest thing I'd ever seen.

I would probably have rechecked my phone for the date......:mrgreen::mrgreen: that could have been a hidden camera set up!!!!!!

[GoatGuy]

I think boars tend to stay out longer than the sows with cubs? It is kind of odd to see a sow out this time of year with two young things like that, they really are quite small. Maybe she was late having them last spring, or had a bad time finding enough forage this summer? Hopefully the little ones make it.
the boars are up and down all winter.

[CanuckShooter]

Where are you located? Some bears around the North Shore area of Vancouver are not denning at all. Last couple of years there are reports of bears being seen in January here.


We live in Giscome...which is about 25 miles north east of Prince George....we don't generally [like never] see black bears up and about in December.

[AT&T]

We've got a Grizz around here right now(north of Kaslo)

Make sure you clean up your yard then. Remember what happened a few weeks ago by your place with the Grizz.

[Barracuda]

yup the bears are awake in the lower mainland .

this is the second time in a week this bear has been around the neighbourhood . he seems to be living in the woods and comes out like an oversize racoon at night.

I saw him come up the neighbours well lit drive last night ( I thought i was seeing things) and 15 mins later he investigated our garbage can found there was nothing and went on to the next house . (we have security lights that go off and the dogs LOL )

we have a few new neighbours around here and i think they might be composting food scraps cause normally the bears steer clear of people and stick to the wooded areas on the bottom of our properties and avoid the houses .

this warm snap is also not helping it any.
First time in all the years we have been here that a bear has done this and i know all the other old neighbours that have been here for years are bear aware so the only thing that has changed are the new to the area people.

[MB_Boy]

Although it's one province over.........I was just in Lake Louise working on the ski races over there. We had a young grizz at ~6500 feet that got at some of the timing equipment and chewed it and some power cables all to sh*t about a week and a half ago. Not tons of snow over there yet but it was damn cold with overnight temps in the -25 range and daytime temps between -5 and -15.

[killer]

I crossed two sets of tracks in the timber last weekend in the iron.Also saw a couple out the 1300 rd in about one foot of snow.

[ridge runner]

I Was Up Behind East Trail Last Saturday And Found Fresh Bear Tracks On The Trail I Was On.

[Rev.]

Had a friend with a cub around the neighborhood for a couple weeks with no mom around. Everyone on the block was starting to feed it, eventually my friend was able to catch it and put it in a cage. Phoned around and no one was willing to take it, he ended up finding a place in Langley so he just drove it there.

[Jelvis]

Mid November in Kamloops bears gone into dens ..