March 30, 1999 Missoulian article: Be aware of hungry bruins Hibernating bears wake up. with bigger than usual appetites By MICHAEL JAMISON
Many of those bears, biologists believe, went to bed hungry last fall, unable to put on fat when the berry crop all but failed. That means the bruins will wake up even hungrier and with the "green-up" of spring vegetation still weeks away, some biologists are concerned the bruins may find backyard troubles in their search for forage.
Last fall was the busiest in memory for the Flathead's professional bear management specialists, who are charged with smoothing relations between homeowners and bears. Some days, more than 100 calls were received at the Kalispell office of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, as folks reported bears rummaging near homes. At one point, the department's bear expert worked almost three months without a day off.
"I don't know how bad this spring will be," said Harvey Nyberg of FWP, "I am concerned, however, that this could be a very busy season."
Nyberg speculates that at least some of the region's bears went to den with inadequate fat reserves. As those reserves are tapped out, he said, bears will rumble out from their dens in search of food, regardless of whether spring vegetation has cropped up. A bear's winter nap, he said, has far more to do with food and hunger than it does with winter.
In fact, bears are lumbering out of winter dens, looking for a quick fix to the problem of depleted fat reserves. In Glacier National Park, personnel have been receiving reports of bears for about two weeks. Most of the dozen or so bears spotted are on the east side of the mountains, said Chief Ranger Steve Frye, although unconfirmed reports are coming in from the west side as well.
The park, Frye said, is still snowed in for the most part, and those bears waking early might not find food plentiful. Nyberg agrees, saying a number of factors could lead to heightened bear troubles in coming weeks.
One problem, he said, is that big game fared exceptionally well in what was - at least in the valley bottoms - a relatively mild winter. The usual winter kill did not occur, he believes, and that will mean fewer carcasses for bears to scavenge.
The other problem, he said, is that despite the warm winds of mid-March, the "green-up" of vegetation remains weeks away.
"That's going to give these bears very few options," Nyberg said.
One option he fears they might resort to is back yards. Last fall, he said, many bears discovered backyard meals, driven into orchards and garbage cans by a general lack of berries. Those bears, he said, learned some bad habits, and if they emerge from the den without a meal at hand, they may turn to human sources for food.
"We could be awfully busy, at least until we get some good spring weather," Nyberg said.
The state's work with spring bears began last week, he said, when the department picked up a yearling black bear in the Swan Valley. The youngster, Nyberg said, came out of the den "pretty darn weak," and was put in a wildlife rehabilitation center to put on fat.
If that youngster is indicative of how other bears went into winter, it won't be long, he said, before before others emerge from dens to forage for meals.
In Glacier, where grizzly bears also roam, managers are worried not only about the condition of bears, but also the safety of visitors on early spring hikes. Seasonal alerts have begun, with hikers warned to avoid carcasses, give bruins a wide berth, carry pepper spray and keep people food far from bears.
Bears in some corners of the park have been known in recent years to remain awake all winter, Frye said, feeding on meat scavenged from wolf and mountain lion kills. As long as food is sufficient, Frye said, there is no need for bears to den.
"That's why I think it's prudent, very prudent, for back-country users to be on the alert for bears, no matter what time of year it is," he said.
But particular prudence is called for in the spring, managers agree, When bears are in greater need of sustenance. That prudence should carry over to homeowners, Nyberg added, urging them to remove any attractants - pet foods, garbage, bird seed, wildlife feed and others before bears break in and learn to associate humans with a meal.
"The 'people land' in and around the' valley floor is critical spring and fall feeding land for the bears," Nyberg said. "If people want this animal to continue to live on the landscape, then they need to be aware that their actions can make a difference."