beartracker's Favorites

Last night, I was out on another bear walk while up at the lake and heard bears foraging... made my way over to the commotion and saw the larger bear, I believe to be Mom, first, and she kept looking over to the smaller bear, who was more leery as he moved about... he was larger than a yearling, and much smaller than an adult, yet was acting like mom was in charge of where to go and when. They foraged throughout the area, stopping a few times to play along the way. Eventually they made their way down to a hiking/strolling trail, crossing it while foraging and I decided to move on.

Conditions were challenging taking photos due to the smoke in the area and the clouds remaining after the thunderstorm and rain... followed them from 7:19 pm to 8:09 pm.

First photo out of sequence, rest in sequence.

May be adding links to some videos some.

Location very general and obscured.

A rare kind of bear observation for many... Black Bears mating. It was difficult getting photos of other behavior, as they were a "busy" couple. Hopefully these photos are respectful enough to share the rare observation.

Photos 2 - 8 in order, 9th shows the sizes of both bears... The female was about 200 lbs. and the very large male was 3X her size, around 600 lbs. Last photo was the parting pic as I departed quietly and peacefully.

Saw this couple playing on a previous evening among 5 different bears on this mountain slope and 3 others on another slope, (most were foraging)... Decided to hike up to get better photos.

On the edge of last year's Tamarack Fire, where it burned into an area already burned about 7 years ago.

Location generalized and obscured to help keep these bears safe.

Striped skunk dug out a western fence lizard from its burrow and partially consumed it. You can see the claw marks from the dig. Either we are seeing a female with eggs or a male with large testes. Skunk was heard and smelled in this very spot that evening and dig is typical of abundant skunk digs in the yard. @richard26

I believe these are the tracks of a house mouse who lives under my neighbors porch. Note how the hind tracks are distinctly larger than the fronts; and that the hind tracks appear longer than wide. I was also struck by the long bounds. Typical leaps appeared to be 15"-17" and one long jump measured 24"

Not sure what kind of larvae this is. They live in a coastal bush lupine leaf blade that fold ups on each side to form a protective tube. Each tube holds 5-10 “maggots”. Eventually it seems like they burrow out of the tube leaving an exit hole. The large lupine in my backyard has hundreds of these little nests

I'm not great with tracks. But these stood out to me as the clearest track had a pad with two lobes in front, and claws were visible for some toes on a couple tracks but lacking for others- this is very slippery mud so a felid might put claws out for traction, but no canid is retracting their claws at any point, right? Size also seemed small for coyote and big for fox. There's also the thing with one front toe sticking out ahead of the other front toe.

While on a cross-country bear trek yesterday, noticed a fresh set of tracks leading up a steep slope. Decided to follow it and it lead me to this wonderful discovery. A bear den excavated into the mountainside, and hidden from view by Singleleaf Pinions and Utah Junipers.
Plenty of fresh and historical bear sign present, indicating use through the years and recent comings and goings. Couple Primary Bear Trails extending from the den site, one eventually leading to a spring and edible grass and forbs. Included all the bear sign (may add another Bear Trail photo) as part of the den observation, since everything makes up a den site as a whole package.Visited the site again today breifly, and have a couple viewpoints from over 3/4 of a mile away. A new set of tracks were present, and several flies were on the wing at the entrance and in the den.

The den is slightly orientated NW, and depending on many conditions and variables, most bear dens are situated facing North, predominantly NE the coldest aspect great for snow accumulation benefitting safety, NW facing dens may be a close second, and dens can also be found oriented SE and SW, depending on many factors.

Bears in the Pine Nut Mountains of Nevada have many challenges to overcome... Monumentally increased OHV activity (excessive dust, speeding, disrupting the peace, driving anywhere they please over anything they please), bear hunters and houndsmen/women (also driving wherever they please) during the fall/early winter bear hunting season, and what I believe is the toughest environment/habitat type for bears to survive in in North America... The Great Basin.
Over the years (approaching the 37th year spending time among bears, learning who and when, where), I've seldom shared info or photos of bear dens I've found... Helps keep a safe refuge for bears, especially important considering ever-increasing human encroachment/dismantling of Nature.

Location is extremely generalized/obscured without accuracy and specifics, therefore protecting bears from hunters.