HUNGRY BEARS CAN CAUSE SPRING PROBLEMS

WEST PLAINS -- How many times have you heard someone describe a particularly troubling problem as a real "bear."

The word, "bear," often evokes a picture of a big, stubborn, potentially dangerous situation, bat the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reverses the usual order, urging people not to let bears become real "problems."

The conservation department estimates the number of black bears in Missouri at somewhere between 50 and 150. This relatively small number, together with the animals' shy nature, makes Missouri bear sightings rare. Still, a few bears become nuisances each year. The number of nuisance bear reports begins to climb in April and peaks between the middle of May and the middle of June.

"That is a very difficult time for bears," said MDC Research Biologist Dave Hamilton. "Bears don't hibernate for as long in Missouri as they do in more northerly states, but most of our bears are much less active during the coldest months. They may den up for days or weeks at a time in brush piles, shallow caves or hollow trees. With the arrival of warm weather, they get more active. It takes a while for their digestive systems to get reactivated, but when they do, they are really hungry."

To satisfy their voracious appetites, bears eat succulent spring vegetation, but this spartan diet often leaves them craving more. They are constantly alert for new food sources, and their spring hunger pangs sometimes overwhelm their shyness. If they smell livestock feed, garbage, pet food or even birdseed, they may venture close to homes or businesses to check it out.

Compounding the problem is the fact that female bears with two- year-old cubs chase off their young so they can mate and produce more cubs. The young, abandoned bears must find food on their own, and young males move miles away from their mother's home range in search of territory to call their own. Some young bears seen in Missouri at this time of year are males dispersing from northern Arkansas, where they are more numerous.

"Bears are still enough of a novelty in Missouri that most people are excited when they see one rummaging around in their back yard," said Hamilton. "But unless they are discouraged right away, bears can develop some pretty unhealthy habits that way. By the time people's excitement wears off, the bear's natural fear of humans may have reduced to the point where it is a danger to property or, rarely, even people and certainly to the bear itself."

Hamilton said people who live south of the Missouri River, especially southwestern and south-central counties, should keep foodstuffs where bears can't reach them. Even bird feeders can be targets of bear foraging. If bears are known to frequent your area, it is a good idea to clean up seed residues beneath feeders and stop feeding birds during the summer. An alternative is to bring feeders inside at night.

Hamilton noted that bears are protected by the Wildlife Code of Missouri. However, persons who experience bear problems can frighten the animals away by shouting, throwing rocks or banging pots and pans. If these measures don't deter a bear, call your county conservation agent or the nearest MDC office.

"The Conservation Department has people trained to deal with bear problems of all kinds," said Hamilton. "Like most Missourians, we are thrilled that bears are slowly returning to our forests. They are an exciting and important part of Missouri's wildlife, and when conflicts arise, we can handle them."