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Idaho Fish and Game

Grizzly Bears Beginning to Stir from Winter's Slumber

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As the withering storms of winter lay down a final blanket of snow across the highlands of the Upper Snake Region, grizzly bears have begun to stir within their dens, awakened by biological alarm clocks telling them that it is time to get up and move out in search of food to replenish the fat reserves that were burned up over the long winter. As bears begin their search for food, humans who are seeking relief from cabin fever are reminded to take caution as they head out into bear country. "The signals from the bear's radio collars tell us that they are starting to move around, but that they are still close to or in their dens," large carnivore biologist Bryan Aber said. Many people envision a grizzly bear den as being a large cave, and while bears will definitely take advantage of natural shelters, more often they will need to do just a little earthwork to create a den. Some bears will dig under large tree roots, others have been known to just bed down under a large sage brush bush and let the snow cover them up. The very act of hibernation causes bears to burn up a tremendous amount of stored energy, resulting in a loss of up to 50 percent of their weight when they entered the den. Because of the need to regain this lost energy, bears will eat just about whatever they can find, but non-mobile protein such as winter-killed deer and elk are at the top of their preferred menu. Contrary to what children's fairy tales have taught us, bears do not live or hibernate together as a family unit. The females always den separately from the adult males. The reason is that adult males are not beyond snacking on young cubs, even their own offspring. Adult males emerge first from the den, allowing them first shot at winter-killed animals and emerging plants, such as the glacier lilies. As people take to the hills or reopen cabins that have been closed for the winter, they are reminded to take heed, because they are in bear country. Nearly all of Idaho is home to black bears and much of the Upper Snake Region is now seeing grizzly bears returning to the haunts of their ancestors. Internet sites designed to provide information about living in bear country or to report a grizzly bear sighting include: