When Do Bears Go To Sleep

[trailhead]

So I was down in Coleman for the weekend and my wife and I decide to go for a hike along the river. We walked on a trail by Bushtown and came out on a gravel bar. There must have been 6 or 7 big piles of bear sh*t, mostly full of chokecherry pits. I was always under the impression that bears moved up into the high country in late fall to prepare for denning up for the winter. I guess I was wrong, the scary part was we had no bear spray and I know that a grizzly has been hanging around for most of the summer. These were huge piles of poo!

[Suntoucher]

Perhaps it's the warm fall and lack of snow that's keeping some around still...

[Guest 420FLYFISHIN]

id think if they can still find food they will still be foraging. I have HEARD (not 100%) that some bears down in waterton area dont hibernate every year

[jonn]

both suntoucher and 420flyfishin are correct. If the weather is good and there is still lots of food to rip up they will stay out later. I was out hunting on yesterday and we came across a small black bear on a spike elk. I know on the cold lake air base many of the black bears don't go down or wake early due to the bombs and sonic booms going on all winter and if it's a bad winter many of them die due to lack of food. Last year we saw three bears in February. (really malnourished)

[loeber]

Friend of mine walked up on a Grizzly this weekend in BNP. Walked around the corner and it was 40-50' downhill from him coming towards him. one Bear banger and the bear turned around and walked into the bush.

[ÜberFly]

Wow! The bear 'walked" back into the woods!! Concerning!! I would have hoped that a bear would "run" back into the woods!!

 

P

 

Friend of mine walked up on a Grizzly this weekend in BNP. Walked around the corner and it was 40-50' downhill from him coming towards him. one Bear banger and the bear turned around and walked into the bush.

 

[loeber]

Yeah. he said it was VERY unsettling... much like his bowels for the rest of the hike

[Jeffro]

Sometimes the Boars will stay out until January, but most bears are already settling into the stages of torpir. Many bears have been conditioned to our hunting seasons and stay out a bit later than what was considered "normal" in the past. Some bears don't put enough into stores and they will not sleep much through the winter. I have a black bear that follows me around religously this time of year looking for my gut pile. He moved into the area I hunt when they had the forestry closures down south a few years ago. I have a date with him some day this week.....if it ever snows.......Not far from where we fished Vic

[Taco]

Where do 800 lb grizzlies sleep? Any friggin' place they want to.

 

As to when, what Jeffro said.

[hydroman]

Just saw a black bear along on the north part of Crowsnest Lake this morning. Other bear tracks noted near our project area. These guys are not sleeping yet

[Pipestoneflyguy]

Still seeing bears almost every day up here. Few letharigic fatties wandering around on the tracks munching grain and corn, now that we have snow that's the last easily found buffet, the weather has been pretty warm and that is a likely factor in late nap time.

 

As per usual, when I hear mention of bear bangers, be carefull you (your friend) doesn't send the bear towards you,...happens alot, those things pop further away than most people think. Personally I would prefer folks give the bear right-of-way as an alternative to forcing a negative interaction out of a non-agressive situation - everytime a tourist fires one of those things the bear becomes less afraid and as such, the tool becomes less effective and may not work when someone may actually need it to survive an agressive encounter.

 

Tell your bud to try "cocking" his rod tube like a shotgun (I love showing friends this trick first hand) bears that have been hazed alot will recognize the motion and take off running thinking a screamer or banger is on the way without reducing the effectiveness for when it is really needed. Seems silly to claim right-of-way from a bear in the park anyway, I'll assume there is more to the story or situation that required your friend to go to that level of deterence other than just crossing paths.......I hope anyway

[ÜberFly]

It is always concerning to hear this knowing that this is what is killing the majority of grizzlies (and other wildlife)!!

 

Few letharigic fatties wandering around on the tracks munching grain and corn, now that we have snow that's the last easily found buffet