Maine Bear Dens

How many times do you think you have walked right past a black bear den in winter without realizing it? It might be more than you think…
Real black bear dens are much more inconspicuous than the grand caves depicted in storybooks, especially once blankets of snow further conceal their temporary winter homes. Bears find all sorts of places to stay warm and dry, raise cubs, and catch some Z’s through the winter.
Some bears excavate dens below ground, tucked among a tree’s roots. Others make use of the cover provided by rock crevices, blowdowns, brush piles, logging slash, or human-made structures. Sometimes bears just curl up in a thicket, snuggled into a simple nest of leaves or vegetation on the forest floor, and wait to be buried in snow!
Each winter, our biologists visit bear dens to monitor Maine’s black bear population. With the diversity of well-hidden dens, you can see why they rely on collared bears and radio telemetry to locate dens! If you do come across a bear den, it’s important to keep your distance and not disturb their slumber.

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

I was surprised when I first heard that bears will den in a brush pile. I have since heard den sites are the limiting factor for bear populations here. Cutters on my land said there was a bear den which, as far as I know, I was next to on occasion without knowing it. I never confirmed what they were talking about but I wouldn’t be surprised it was there. I have often thought about making bear dens to see what would happen. A hole dug with a 4 foot culvert chunk added would likely be enough. Anything dry and out of the wind would likely be a magnet.

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