While skinning up the mountain to go skiing this afternoon I came across some fresh bear tracks. It looks like the tracks of 2 bears walking one behind the other. Since both bears seem pretty full grown I am thinking it is a sow with her full grown cub. Normally sows with young cubs do not come out of hibernation until June, and then stay up high until early July and the end of mating season. The big boars will kill and eat a sow's cubs if given a chance so basically it is best for the sows and her young to stay up high and avoid them. The big boars come out earlier in April, and that is why bear hunting season is in late April to early May - the Alaska Department of Fish and Game would prefer that hunters harvest the boars and not the sows.
My guess is that sow came out early because she is done with this particular cub. It is time for her little teenager to make it on his/her own, and for her to get back on the dating scene. Patrick
No comments:
Post a Comment