I would say this is the year of the Black Bear in Shenandoah National Park. We
kept track of the number of bear and these were the numbers for 3 days
of riding around and looking. We counted 5 cubs and 15 adult and
yearlings . Most years we are lucky to see even one.
How Challenging photographing black bears. They never want to look at you....
And when they do they are in behind the ferns
or walking away
You can't get your settings right because of low light in the forest
Or you see a big one and it's between rock and a tree!
A sow was foraging and three of her cubs were just running wild.Can you find the two in the ferns in this picture?
This was probably a big male because sows only go between 100 and 175 pounds where males can weigh in at 300
This was a small cub foraging alone.. He would NOT lift his head. It was early morning and he was soaking wet from the dew.
The bear population is estimated between 500 - 700 in the Park
Sows become sexually mature at age 3 or 4-- mating in mid-summer
The embryo does not develop until she dens in the fall and she carries the cub (s) for 6 weeks
A cub weighs about 8 ounces and is hairless with eyes closed when born
Twins are common but four is not uncommon
Even though I was not happy with my photography skills I am happy about how many bears I saw and how easy they were to find.
To God be the Glory ~~Great Things He hath Done
