Photo Description This is the second sighting of this little guy on our property within a week. He snooped around the chicken coop (much to their chagrin and cackling!) He also smelled our suet feeders which we now take in at night to discourage him from depending on our home for his food for the winter. Enjoy wildlife from a distance! Be alert to these little critters this time of year. The best thing you can do is watch them, but don't interfere with their lessons on how to live in the wild.
This is a time we see yearling cubs wandering around our property in northeastern Pennsylvania. Mama bears birth their cubs (usually two) and nurse them in their dens their first winter. After a year old (thus the "yearling" term) in the fall the mom encourages them to leave her and forge out on their own. Then the mom can start again. The female cubs don't go too far from the mom, but the males can travel as far as 50 miles away. They now need to find a totally new food source and fatten up fast before winter!
That is why you may find a bear wandering around your property, usually dawn or dusk, but not always, if they are hungry.
Usually just shouting, clapping your hands and making some noise (at a safe distance) is enough to spook them away. Never go close to them nor bait them with food or you are encouraging a sad situation for them in the future since many bears don't survive if they are taught to go around people and need to be moved to different locations by rangers.
Photo Location
NEPA
