Bear's Den? Pic's.....

GC

GC

Well-known member
Alright fellows I went screaming today (predator calling). It was a balmy 15 degrees at dawn and a brisk little 10mph wind added to the effect. I walked a long rugged ridge and circled back through a big secluded hollow. I didn't get any volunteers for the call. However, I did find this huge tree which had fallen. The tree was on the side of the main ridge, right along a spur which led into the hollow, and on the south facing sunny slope. That's not uncommon in the big woods but the base of this tree was absolutely huge and hollow wayyyy up in the trunk. The opening for the hollow part was large enough to stand my BAR upright in. The main cavity was about 20" wide and 30" long-upright. There were some 6" long dark colored coarse hairs stuck along the roof of the opening. FYI, Missouri's bear population is estimated to be near 1,000 animals and this particular area has a long history of bears. There have been many recent sightings and a resident population here. Enough that some campsites in the National Forest have been raided and the few scattered farmers reporting nuisance problems with bears for years now. Strong rumor has it that the Missouri Conservation Department has had to dispatch one problem bear from this area. I've just not been lucky enough to sight one in the wild here and am excited to think I may have been this close today. Did I find a bear den?
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Gc-
I have worked as a wildlife technican here in maine for our department of inland fisheries and wildlife. I worked on the bear study here in maine helpping to manage the states 23,000 black bears.

What you describe is most likely a bear den. here in maine we call standing hollow tree dens like the one you found smokestacks. The black hairs really tip it off.

Congratulations on a great find.

-eric
 
Thanks for the reply, it's appreciated. This tree isn't standing, it has fallen, so it gives easy access and something could crawl way back in there to escape the cold and weather. There are also wild hog/boars in the area and my first thought was one of them used the tree during the cold snap we just had. But I don't think they would be tall enough to leave hairs on the top of the opening (30"), and six inch hairs seem pretty long for a hog. I've seen a half dozen of them killed in these woods, one a 275 pounder, and none of these had hair that long on their shoulders/mane. A 400 pound boar was killed here a couple of years ago and it might have been tall enough, but that's still pretty long hair for a hog. So I figured bear. I'll keep a eye out when we get some snow and see what turns up for tracks.
 
Congrats CG on the great find. I have walked many a mile in the woods during the winter in hopes of finding a bear den. As far as finding the tracks go though... its hibernation time, so I dont figure you will find any. Just a thought.

BANDIT
 
Shortly after I found the den the weather warmed to over 60 degrees and has stayed unusually warm since. I wondered if the critter might stir around some until the weather got winter like again. Next time I'm also going to take my Surefire flashlight and shine inside the trunk and see what I can. If it's not a bear den, then if there is a big hog using the tree they don't "den" and so maybe with some snow I could see tracks which might identify the occupant. It's fun checking it out anyway. The weekend before I found another den dug into a hillside. Much smaller, but still has a hole as big as a basketball and had been freshly dug. I figured gray fox for this one. Coyotes shouldn't be denning yet for pups, so I thought one of the woods foxes was seeking shelter.
 
I found a den tree in November deer season with claw marks going up the tree and none coming down...this tree had been notched by the game commission from the previous year....a sow bear was checked in late winter...the notch was put back,caulked and nailed...a metal tag is attached to the tree....I just blondered by and found it...I would think a sow bear is in it getting ready to have cubs...
 
let me rephrase that- ive seen hundreds of bear come down a tree- 99 out of a hundred back down- they would fall on face if they came down head first- think about it-i have seen a few just jump down - pete
 
Congratulations on a great find! Any chance you could get a game camera setup to photograph the resident(s) of that den? That'd make some awesome pictures.
 
Our winter this year has been so warm I don't think the den is being used. I'm kinda let down by that, however, it'll be there for a long while. Eventually I should see some positive signs revealing who/what is using the tree. I suspect that'll change along with the seasons too. I'd make an excellent coyote den this spring.
 
ive got a tape- PA bear study- radio collared bear- lot of good info-- they said that bear rarely used same dens over-- my memory is terrible but i think said ten % one of the neatest thing was they tracked one that was denning under somebodys camp-- -it also showed bear in pa dening rite on top of ground- ive found a few places here where bear made a nest in leaves near some beeches and were almost not moving at all- tracks like wagon spokes -i think this is kind of a transition den - doubt they would survive the winter like that- (northern VT) ive also found a bear denned under just a small blowdown- very little protection-long as get lots of snow with no big meltdowns i guess that works- be interesting to see if bear uses that log again- hair will last almost indefinately if protected and hair u found could be quite old- pete
 
Pete no doubt ya seen a few claw marks on trees..but got to tell ya one thing....if a bear goes up a tree...he/she must come down...only one set of marks....maybe the bear parachuted into the tree...and then backed down..which most of us know, they back down aways and then jump off to the side....at least here in Va they do...dont know about those Vt bear...maybe they back up a tree...
 
i was out coyote hunting last week,in central Pa. and while walking along a mountain road i found about a 200 lb bear that was, lying next to the road, its head was the only thing missing, you could tell it was sawed off, coyotes got the vitals out of the chest cavity, reported to the game commission and they came and picked it up, their going to thaw it out and look for bullet holes, etc. The bear was frozen solid, but it didn't look like it was there for more than a couple of weeks.
told the warden ide like to have the paws to make a gun rack out of, for a finders fee. he replied "i dont think thats going to happen". didnt' hurt to try.
 
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