Being Bear-Aware: How to Be a Good Neighbor During Spring Baby Season and Beyond
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Welcome back to Wild Notes! In this series, take a walk on the wild side with Kevin to see the natural world from the perspective of a seasoned naturalist.
Now that we’re solidly into spring, wild animal parents everywhere are doing their best to raise the next generation. Not unlike human parents, they’re sleep-deprived, overworked, and overwhelmed by the antics of their rambunctious little ones.
It’s a stressful time of year in the wild—and how well these families survive often depends not on how they behave around us, but on how we behave around them.
This is especially true when it comes to larger animals—like bears.
Our own behavior is the most important factor in avoiding conflicts with wildlife.
Bears Are Among Us (Quietly)
Here on our homestead, bears are often right under our noses—and we rarely even know it. Our trail cameras have caught plenty of them quietly passing through at night, doing their best to avoid us entirely. Most of the time, all we see is a furry blur sprinting off in terror the moment a human scent hits the air.
And that’s exactly how it should be.
As long as we don’t teach bears that humans = free snacks (by leaving garbage, compost, pet food, livestock, or beehives unsecured), we’re unlikely to experience serious conflict. But if easy meals start showing up—intentionally or not—you can bet the bears will take notice.
If you leave a food source unsecured, bears will quickly take advantage. Keep them wild. Don’t teach them that easy meals can be found near humans.
Our Visit to the Smokies: Where the Bears Are Bold
Last week, Julie and I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where bears are more accustomed to people and sightings are common. In a single day, we saw three mother bears—each with twin cubs—and one solo male grazing peacefully in a meadow.
Yes, grazing.
Despite their tough reputation, black bears are mostly plant-eaters. Over 70% of their diet is vegetation, and most of the rest is insects. Only about 5–10% of what they eat is animal protein. So while they are powerful and absolutely deserve our respect, they’re not the mindless predators Hollywood makes them out to be.
They’re more like giant, anxious vegetarians who occasionally indulge in an egg or two.
It may seem odd to think of a bear grazing on grass in a meadow, but their diet is over 70% vegetarian.
Be a Good Neighbor to Bears
If you live in bear country (and around here, many of us do), you can help these animals stay wild—and keep your own property safe—by:
Locking up garbage and compost bins
Protecting beehives and backyard animals
Bringing in bird feeders during bear season
Never feeding bears, intentionally or unintentionally
Spring is stressful for wild parents as they try to keep up with their energetic young. Give them a little extra grace and a lot of extra space during this time of year.
When it comes to bears, our fear of them is usually much bigger than the actual danger they represent—but their fear of us can’t be big enough.
And that fear? It keeps both us and the bears safe.
(P.S. Since our local bears are wisely avoiding cameras and humans, all the photos in this post are from our recent trip to the Smokies. Hopefully their West Coast cousins don’t mind the stand-ins.)
