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Ah April! We all feel better when April arrives.
So do wildlife, flowers and trees, and sports all seem to start in April. Especially, so do winter-stressed black bears.
Small birds and animals that did not survive the winter are choice snacks to a bear. Garbage cans, dog food dishes sitting on the back porch, bird feeders are all desirable to bears, awakening from a long winter's sleep and perhaps finding themselves with two to four cubs to now care for.
When the bears emerge from the winter den they are hungry and begin at once to sniff out anything they can find to eat.
As a rule, bears who cross paths with a human in the woods will smell you before you see them and they will run. But if they have a couple cubs with them the dynamic changes. If you surprise them at close range they may regard you as a threat to their cubs. They may send the cubs up a tree and then stare at you and even bluff charge. Your instinct is to run but believe me, running is exactly the wrong thing t do. They will take you for a prey trying to escape and chase you. Your running triggers the chase instinct in a bear and they can run much faster than you can. Just back up slowly and do not stare at them.
I have had quite a few bears come to my location when I was sitting camouflaged and using a turkey call. They would enjoy a turkey for lunch as much as I would. When that happens, I freeze and he will usually just look around and then leave.
Bears do not have sharp eyesight. They do have an excellent sense of smell. So if you are in the woods or in the back forty, and a bear appears, freeze, enjoy the sight and let him pass you by. It's a great experience.
I have had the pleasure of seeing more bears than most in the woods. And I take my own advice, I freeze and remain motionless.
Dr. Gary Alt, the biologist who introduced black bears back into Pennsylvania decades ago did tell me that if a bear charges me I should make myself looks as big as possible and make as much loud, gruff noise as possible. So I carry a loud police whistle on a lanyard and am prepared to use it.
Years ago a bear decided to walk in to the tree I had chosen to climb into for an archery stand and plopped on its haunches and sat there leaning against the tree trunk and stayed there for several hours. I was just feet above him in the tree and he never knew I was there. I sat quietly figuring out which branch I would shimmy out onto if he decided to climb the tree I was in. I sweated that one out. But I was sitting there with my whistle in my mouth. Thanks again to my guardian angels!
Seldom do bears who have left their hibernation hole make their way into town. It is young bears that have been kicked away from their mother in late summer so she can breed again that wander into towns only to set everyone in a panic and decide to chase the bear around from one yard to another. Finally these young bears have their fill of it and run up a tree somewhere and someone has to call wildlife agents to come tranquilize it then release it somewhere into the woods.
Other foolish and dangerous capers with bears are those who want to have their photo with the bear or set their toddler on its back and snap pictures. Or have someone take a picture while another person tries to entice a bear to take a marshmallow from his lips. Very unwise choices.
Bears do not like to be around humans but if they decide you are going to harm their cubs, you could be in serious trouble. The second fix you can get into is when you try to take food away from the bear. He won't appreciate that.
If you see a bear padding through the woods, stop and do not move. Because their eyesight is not so keen they won't see you unless you move.
If anything, they will smell you and that will definitely make them move away.