LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Many of us here in Lake County have a California black bear story or two.
During one winter a sorrowful sight south of Middletown, along Highway 29 and Hilderbrand Road, was a deceased, frost-encrusted bear which undoubtedly met his end by being hit by a large vehicle.
Also in the Hilderbrand Road vicinity a black bear was “shopping” around a resident's porch, dining on a bin of pet food which had been left outside the home.
A more recent bear sighting in Lake County occurred near the Lower Lake end of Spruce Grove Road.
With a home range of eight to 60 square miles for male bears, and one to 15 square miles for females, no wonder bears thrive in our wide and wonderful county.
Black bears are the only bears that dwell in California. They are the subspecies Ursus americana altifontalis, or northwestern black bear, and ursus californiensis or California black bear which both inhabit California.
Grizzly bears ranged in California until they were hunted out in 1920.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, our state's black bear population has been increasing over the last 25 years, with more than 30,000 bears statewide.
Black bear and deer, or big game hunting season began farther north, in Humboldt County Oct. 11. As of Oct. 19, there were 737 bears “harvested.”
The season closes on Dec. 28 or when 1,700 black bears have been taken.
Black bears are not always black. They can sport a variety of additional fur colors including brown, red and sometimes even blonde.
Black bears can live up to 30 years in the wild. The weight of a female is in the 275 pound range, and the male's weight can rise to 500 pounds.
Bear tracks in the wild are distinct, with five toes and claws. Those unique claws aid them in gathering food and also help them climb. They are quite dexterous, using those same claws just like fingers while consuming their prey.
The bear's habitat includes forested areas, with large trees. However, their range includes brushy and grassy areas which gives them an array of food sources. Bears are omnivores. Depending on the season, bears will dine on berries, acorns, pine nuts, grubs, beetles and other insects, fish, small mammals and carrion.
Bears are both good runners and swimmers, and their cubs learn these habits quickly.
Black bears are usually timid and nonaggressive. In our area bears do not hibernate, but “den” instead, utilizing anything from a large brush pile, large trees, beneath large rocks or sometimes simply on the bare ground.
Another term for their seasonal slumbering is “seasonal lethargy.” During this time their unique adaptations allow them to live off their fat and high winter cholesterol levels. They do, however drop a considerable amount of weight then.
An additional feature bears possess is that they lose only a small amount of muscle at this time.
Additional information on bears for homeowners, and how to stay safe in bear country can be found at https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=57522&inline=1 .
For the Department of Fish and Wildlife's American black bear range map, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/bear/range.html .
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
The Living Landscape: Black bears
- Kathleen Scavone
- Posted On