What are Bears Doing Now...March at a Glance
- Some black bears leave their dens to walk around, stretch their legs and then go back to sleep. Other bears leave dens for good. Bears emerge skinny, groggy and thirsty and soon go looking for roughage.
- Newborn black bear cubs keep growing in their dens.
- Yearlings that denned up with mom last fall celebrate their first birthday.
- Bears get new “shoes.”
- Resetting the Bear Snooze Alarm
- Hibernating bears may temporarily leave their dens and do a short walk-about before curling up and going back to sleep. Bedding in the den might be several inches of grasses, moss, leaves, pine needles and tree branches.
Some Black Bears Leave Dens for Good
In March many full-grown male bears begin to emerge from their winter dens. Bears that denned up in poor condition and survived the winter may also leave their dens. Why would a bear den up in poor condition? It might be injured, or a freeze or wildfire damaged acorns and berries and made it tough to pack on the pounds needed to stay healthy all winter.
Bears are Skinnier, Groggy and Thirsty
Since bears can lose more than thirty percent of their body weight over their long winter’s fast, you’d think they’d make a beeline for the nearest food source. But most bears emerge drowsy and lethargic and spend their first few days drinking lots of water, eating snow if there is no water available and cleaning out their systems before starting to prowl around searching for food. It’s not uncommon for bears to continue to lose weight the first few weeks they are back out into the world.
