Page 15 - May/June 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma

RPBIRDMAN/BEARWISE.ORG

become habituated to people. The South Lake Tahoe bears are extreme exam- This black bear might have smelled something in the
back of this pickup and jumped up to investigate.
ples of habituated bears.
“Research indicates that bears become progressively more likely to visit
homes and campsites unless they encounter negative stimuli,” Ford said.
Although bear attacks on people are rare, they do happen. Bears are WILDLIFEDEPARTMENT.COM
unpredictable wild animals with the ability to cause significant damage to
people and property.
To avoid bear encounters and possible conflicts, prevention is key. Bears
are scent-driven and have an extremely developed sense of smell. It is esti-
mated a black bear can smell a food source from more than a mile away.
Food attractants are typically at the root of human-bear conflicts and
include deer corn feeders, pet and livestock food, fruit trees, bird seed and
birdfeeders, unsecured garbage, chickens and other small livestock, and bee- Landowners and hunters most anywhere in the eastern
half of the state shouldn’t be surprised if images of a
hives or apiaries. It is important these attractants are secured or put away. black bear turn up on their game camera. Males are
currently searching for females, some females are busy
In eastern Oklahoma there are two separate and distinct black bear popu-
raising cubs, and all bears are busy searching for food.
lations. The larger population is found in southeastern Oklahoma, where biol-
ogists estimate about 2,500 black bears reside. The smaller population lives

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