Bears Out, Despite Snow Cover

Observation: I doubt this is early for bears, but the snow cover here is still significant. Many feet in most areas. No sign of berries anywhere.

LEO says: We are assuming this is a black bear (Ursus americanus) track. You can find more information about black bears at the website of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and information about identification of bear tracks at Nature Tracking. There are seven other observations about seasonality and spring (or winter) bear activity in LEO Network. All of these are in Alaska, and mostly are related to unusually warm conditions which delay hibernation, initiate an unseasonable or early wake up, or or wet weather conditions that can result in a damp of flood conditions in the den. For more information about the normal timing of spring bear activity in California, LEO has shared this post with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. M. Brubaker