Bear sightings almost a spring certainty

LITTLE ROCK — Spring is in full swing in The Natural State, and Arkansas black bears are out and about. Seeing a wild bear can be an exciting experience, but it is far from unique in the state formerly nicknamed The Bear State, especially in late spring.

Black bears emerge from their winter dens beginning in late March in Arkansas. When they do, they do what bears do best: look for food. Black bears are generalist omnivores, meaning they can eat just about anything, including leaves, grass, berries, nuts, insects and meat (meat makes up a very small portion of most black bears’ diets and is often acquired opportunistically).

When bears come out of their dens, they need to make up for a lot of time and weight lost during winter. This makes them more active as they search for food to regain as much body mass as they can.

Yearling male bears, in particular, are highly mobile in spring. These young bears stayed the winter with their mother, but were kicked out of her territory to start their lives on their own. They can travel very long distances in search of a new place to call their home. This uptick in bear activity makes seeing a bear walking on the side of the road or through a wooded area near a home fairly common in Arkansas.

This means bears are more likely to get into trouble as they look to take advantage of any easy meals they can find. Wildlife feeders (deer, birds, etc.), unsecured trash with food scraps, and pet and livestock foods left outside are major attractants for bears trying to stock up after a long winter. Young male bears are even more likely to take advantage of these foods as they travel to new locations and try to determine if the area holds adequate resources.

Unfortunately, this often leads to property damage and nuisance activity. Wild bears are used to tearing apart logs to find insects to feed on, and a birdfeeder, trash can or food bag is no different to a bear. They don’t know they are destroying property. They just know there is something they can eat inside of something they can break into.

The best way to avoid conflicts with black bears is to be BearWise. Remove all attractants from your property or secure it safely, and, especially, never intentionally feed bears.

Not only is feeding bears outside of the legal baiting period for hunting illegal in Arkansas, but it is also dangerous. Bears that are fed by people will begin to lose their natural fear of humans and view them as a food source. It can be fun and exciting to see bears up close, but it is much less fun when they climb through a window or break through a screen door to see what else is available to eat.

Visit www.BearWise.org for more information on living with bears and becoming more bear aware.

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