October 8, 1999

     Black Bears

About leaf-change time in mid-September the black bears in northeastern Minnesota become lethargic, and at least by mid-October they have usually fed so well that they have built up a heavy fat layer.  Food gathering becomes more difficult so the bears begin looking for dens.

The peak time for bears going into their winter sleep in northeastern Minnesota is between Sept. 24 and Oct. 24.  They pull in pine needles and other leaves for a bed in a winter den that is usually dug under an overturned tree but may also be a sheltered cave in a rock outcrop, a hollow tree or stump, a dense thicket or stand of small evergreens.  Generally the bear is somewhat exposed and later becomes partly covered with snow, but its breath melts a hole in the snow so a bear den can be located.

Being omnivores, black bears eat both plant and animal food.  They feed on grasses, berries and other fruits, buds or leaves, honey, mice, squirrels, insects and their larvae and dead animals.  In fact, they will feed on anything that resembles food in looks, smell or taste. Probably less than 10 percent of a bear's food is animal matter.

A bear never gets up in the winter to eat but uses its fat storage until April, when it comes out of hibernation.  It sleeps with its nose tucked down on the chest between the front legs, a fecal plug is formed, and the moisture from the kidneys is reabsorbed.