first bear sighting of 2014!!!

[natvbearhntr]

Makes me excited to start running baits. This little guy was eating on a deer carcus only 25 yards off the main road. Once I stopped and started taking pictures the cars started lining up. He took off then I stopped again on my way back to my office and he was there again.

[Dewey]

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Cool pic's! He musta been real hungry to eat right next to the road and cars.

[Mike Foss]

Cool pic's! He musta been real hungry to eat right next to the road and cars.

I had a discussion two weeks ago with one of the team members (Dr Danny Riley) that have done bear research with me in the past. Our discussion was about effects on bears with all this snow and bears coming out of hibernation.


It takes a couple of weeks of being out continuously to get the digestive system functioning as well as the urination and defecation. If no food, they are likely to go back into the den and continuing the lethargy state. This is the lowest energy consuming state. During this period, they depend on fat reserves. Until they are eating regularly, they draw on their fat reserves. If a bear went into hibernation without enough fat supply, they would start breaking down their muscles. They would start generating ammonia and urinating. This is how wolves smell a bear in the den. Normally, they do not produce ammonia so this odor is not present. The first month out even with eating they do not gain weight because calories in are not sufficient, but by the 2nd month they should find enough new grasses and other vegetation and left over acorns to begin to gain weight. The big males patrol the edges of highways as the snow melts looking for road kill meals. This is why I advise the hunters to drag carcasses off the side of the road into the woods. The bears alongside the road often get hit and killed. Some of the biggest males that we got for dissection to work out the muscle biopsy technique came from road killed spring bears. Bears without enough fat to get through the hibernation period and begin consuming their muscle can starve and die from loss of body temperature maintenance, dehydration, and latent disease organisms proliferating in the body with a weakened immune system.

[dan]

Cool pic's! He musta been real hungry to eat right next to the road and cars.

I had a discussion two weeks ago with one of the team members (Dr Danny Riley) that have done bear research with me in the past. Our discussion was about effects on bears with all this snow and bears coming out of hibernation.


It takes a couple of weeks of being out continuously to get the digestive system functioning as well as the urination and defecation. If no food, they are likely to go back into the den and continuing the lethargy state. This is the lowest energy consuming state. During this period, they depend on fat reserves. Until they are eating regularly, they draw on their fat reserves. If a bear went into hibernation without enough fat supply, they would start breaking down their muscles. They would start generating ammonia and urinating. This is how wolves smell a bear in the den. Normally, they do not produce ammonia so this odor is not present. The first month out even with eating they do not gain weight because calories in are not sufficient, but by the 2nd month they should find enough new grasses and other vegetation and left over acorns to begin to gain weight. The big males patrol the edges of highways as the snow melts looking for road kill meals. This is why I advise the hunters to drag carcasses off the side of the road into the woods. The bears alongside the road often get hit and killed. Some of the biggest males that we got for dissection to work out the muscle biopsy technique came from road killed spring bears. Bears without enough fat to get through the hibernation period and begin consuming their muscle can starve and die from loss of body temperature maintenance, dehydration, and latent disease organisms proliferating in the body with a weakened immune system.

Good info Mike!

[natvbearhntr]

Thanks for the info Mike. This little guy looked in pretty good health which surprised me with the long winter we are having. He had a nice thick coat and appeared to have good body weight. So will bear dig for food through the snow of just eat was they can find on top like road kill? I was actually pretty surprised to see a bear out already.

[natvbearhntr]

[bbvideo=425,350]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5XRjMoinMs[/bbvideo]

[DEERSLAYER]

Thanks for the video. I wish it had better clarity, but it was still cool to see. I'm surprised he let you get so close. He sure didn't want to leave that deer carcass. The bears should be feasting this spring with all the winter kill that will be around.

I think I have only seen one bear in my life and it was so dark out I could barely see it. That was back around 1978 when I was a kid.

[natvbearhntr]

Yeah it's not the best video, shot it with my iPhone. We have had a big boost in our bear population lately it seems so I see at least 5 a year outside of hunting them. It was really windy and everyone says they have bad eyesight but I was surprised he let me get that close as well. I couldn't get any closer because of all the broken sticks and branches laying on the ground.