I have footage of his last days of wandering. It's remarkable how slowly he was moving as his metabolism wound slowly down toward hibernation.
Early on 12/3, he started walking on bear trails, albeit very slowly. I first picked up his image at a bear-marking tree. He sniffed it...
... and sniffed it some more.
Before leaving, he showed us the snow matted in his rump. I think he'd been sitting someplace for a while before he walked to this tree.
Just a little later, I found his tracks. On this remote road, he loped along the left edge, I rode my snow bike in the middle, and a rabbit hopped along the right of the road. We all left our tracks.
We have a bear-proof bird feeder that the local bears all know is truly bear-proof and rarely visit. I don't think that this bear was a local bear so he spent a long time on his hind paws staring up at the food over his head. His slow pre-hibernation behavior was markedly different from the behavior of the only other bear who visited back in May.
I hope that you enjoy the video!
Goodness, he was up late. Lol. Good night bear.
ReplyDeleteDo the dogs not hear him and bark when he's so close to the house?
ReplyDeleteIn the summer, they always hear the animals that are outside the house. In the winter, they sometimes do but not always.
DeleteI was quite surprised to see that he'd been here at an hour when we were certainly awake but we didn't notice the white flash going!
What huge pawprints!
ReplyDeleteGoodnight Smikey see you soon
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
That long winters nap is calling!
ReplyDeletelove the picture of the three different tracks!
ReplyDeletehugs
Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel
He's really moving slow.
ReplyDeleteWe laughed at the bear proof feeder.
He sure gave it a try though.
Astro
I wish I had that excuse, "oh, I'm just getting ready to hibernate...that's why i'm so slow and sleepy!!"
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. Those bear paw prints are very impressive. It was nice of him to come visit you so you did not have to keep tracking him.
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool. My daughter and her husband live at the base of the Rockies. No bears have wandered down there but there is a cougar that occassionally wanders the street at dusk.
ReplyDeleteNow all he needs are some fancy ribbon streamers and he would do a May Pole Dance. Slow and steady, and off to bed we go.Thanks for sharing this wonderful part of your life, I cannot imagine how it must be to have these magnificent animals at your back door. Happy New Year for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteLove the video, and oh my gosh,, those bear tracks are huge!
ReplyDeletelove
tweedles