Videos: Black Bears

November 11, 2013

2013 was an amazing huckleberry year! The bears stayed up top this summer filling their bellies rather than coming down to Kootenay communities to find food. The vegetation up top has died up now however, and the bears have come down to find food before denning up for the winter.

The black bear in the photo below showed up early in spring in the gulley behind my home. This bear had probably just recently emerged from hibernation.

Black Bear this spring

I did not see any further sign of bear activity until this fall when a very, very fat brown-coloured black bear wandered by the yard.I swear his belly swayed as he walked by! He didn’t gain access to my bird feeders, garden or fruit trees because I have a predator electric fence that excludes bears very effectively. The video is washed due to the condensation on the lens.

Recently a deer was killed in the bush behind the house. I put a trail cam near the carcass and captured the same large black bear claiming the carcass as his own. The power in those jaws is amazing.

The next day I found the carcass dragged about 200 m away. I again set up the trail cam and captured a view of the same large bear finishing off any meat left on the dead deer.

It is now mid-November and bears are now entering dens for the winter. The trail cams will still capture wildlife activity near my home, but I hope that large black bear dens up soon. He is too close to homes down here and there are so many temptations down here – such as garbage, fruit and chickens – that he may destroy property or become a human safety risk trying to get access to that bear food.

I wish all the bears a good winter’s sleep!