Back to Home Page

Local Links
Sun Valley Guide
Hemingway in Sun Valley
Real Estate


For the week of Sept. 29, 1999 through Oct. 4, 1999

Bears pack it on before packing it in


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

The Wood River Valley’s notorious midnight snackers—black bears—are plundering every food source possible as winter’s icy fingers begin to cinch hold.

Bears go into an extended winter sleep around the beginning of November and must pack on enough nutrients before they go to sleep to get them through the long winter.

That means local bird feeders, garbage cans and pet food are now being targeted by the furry beasts more than ever, Idaho Department of Fish and Game conservation officer Lee Frost said in an interview.

"Bears are spending all of their waking moments walking around looking for their next meal," Frost said.

Throughout the summer, approximately six black bears have roamed in and out of the valley’s populated areas, between Greenhorn and Chocolate gulches.

Most local bears hibernate in wooded areas on Bald Mountain, Frost said. They pick heavily wooded hillsides and find good cover, perhaps beneath fallen trees. There, they dig out dens that will protect them throughout the winter.

"They don’t eat at all until spring," Frost said. "When they sleep, their metabolisms go way down."

Most of what black bears eat is vegetable, Frost said, though they sometimes prey on rodents or very young elk in the spring.

Females give birth in mid-January or early February, and the young stay close to their mother’s teats until spring.

In the past few weeks, reported bear activity in residential areas has picked up, Frost said. There is no reason, however, that local residents should have problems if they take certain precautions.

Bear-proof dumpsters are available at no charge from Wood River Rubbish. The Dumpsters can be locked down at night, Frost explained, which prevents bears from invading smelly human refuse.

Bird seed is an easy source of food for bears, and bird feeders should not be put up for another four to six weeks, Frost said—after bears have gone to sleep for the winter.

"When you put out food to attract wild animals, you have to accept whatever wild animals you attract," Frost said of bird feeders.

Traditionally, pet food is another food source that attracts bears. Local residents should keep pet food inside their homes, or in a locked outdoor storage bin or shed.

Frost explained that the largest problem with wild animals in this area is that people who are moving into the outlying areas of the valley are often naïve concerning what will or won’t attract wildlife, particularly those who have moved here from metropolitan areas.

"If there weren’t solutions, I’d be more sympathetic to people who have problems," Frost said, "but there are solutions that work."

Also, he said of the solutions, "it really helps when people spread the word about these things."

 

Back to Front Page
Copyright © 1999 Express Publishing Inc. All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited.