Bear Activity: September 13 to September 19, 2013

BEAR SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

For the Period:  September 13 to September 19, 2013

Bear Activity Trends

Reports of bears in the Bow Valley continue to be few. A black bear and cubs was reported in the Quarry/Grassi Lake Zone and a grizzly bear was reported in the Gap Hill Zone.   Maps indicating the zone locations referenced in these bear summary reports can be viewed via the link of this page to the right:  www.wildsmart.ca/news/zones-reference-maps/

Education Tidbit

 While bear reports continue to be down for this time of year, it is still a common time of year to encounter black bears feeding along the Bow River looking for dogwood, chokecherries, and wolf willow seed pods to feed on.  It is also the time of year that fruit on ornamental trees such as apple and crabapple will be ripening. Bears love such an attractive food item. Please do you part to pick this fruit from you trees. Dont let it lie on the ground and rot – bears love this even more. Better  yet, please consider removing such an attractant and replace it with another type of flowering tree that does not produce fruit.  The hunting season has also begun so be aware of the possible presence of gut piles that constitute a valuable food source for bears at this time of year.

If you have comments or suggestions on these bear activity reports, they can be forwarded to info@wildsmart.ca.

Please report all bear sightings to 403 591 7755.

BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Be aware of your surroundings, know how to reduce the likelihood of encounters, and be prepared should an encounter take place. Always use caution by paying attention to signs of bear activity such as scats, tracks, and digging. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry bear spray; and obey warnings and closures.

The above summary is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.