Bears waking up early, looking for snacks

People out for a stroll in the wilderness are more likely to encounter bears right now.

Bears, especially black bears, are emerging from their dens unseasonably early due to the warmer weather and low snow pack, according to Lorna Smith, Western Wildlife Outreach’s executive director.

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Though it’s not “exceptionally unusual” for bears to be out this time of year, the amount of people heading out for a hike because of the weather increases the chance of an encounter, Smith said.

“Be more on the lookout than you normally would be during the winter months,” she said.

Issaquah and its surroundings is one area in particular that will have earlier-than-usual bear sightings.

There are an estimated 25,000 black bears in Washington, according to Smith. The chance of one of them attacking is low – there is one recorded death due to a black bear attack in the state’s history.

Rich Beausoleil, state-wide bear and cougar specialist with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, has tracked radio-collared black bears as part of an ongoing study.

“Although it’s about a month early for these bears to be emerging from dens, some radio-collared bears are already active in western Washington,” according to Beausoleil.

Washington isn’t alone, he said. Other western states are seeing early activity for both black bears and grizzly bears.

Females with new cubs will be particularly hungry and may be attracted to human-provided sources of food such as compost, bird feeders, garbage cans, and fruit trees.

Though they are waking up early, bear behavior won’t change much, Smith said. People are cautioned to stay alert, as bears may still be drowsy and not fully aware of their surroundings.