What are Bears Doing in The Fall?

Check out our article about what bears are up to during autumn here. 

Depending on where you live, the weather is starting to get chillier and the urge to stay in bed longer in the morning is stronger. There really isn’t anything more painful than leaving the perfect warmth of bed and diving feet first into a freezing house. 

We’re all connected to the changing of the seasons, and bears are the lucky ones. They get to spend the season sleeping in their dens. 

As colder weather approaches, bears are getting the signal that it’s time to get ready for the winter. In some areas, black bears have already begun hibernating. However, on the Eastern side of North America, where there’s more food available in the fall months, these bears don’t hunker down until November or December.

What happens to bears during this time? 

In the time leading up to winter, bears will eat and drink more than normal to fatten up to help them survive the colder months. 

When they finally take refuge in their dens, they slow down their metabolism, heart rate, and breathing in order to conserve energy during the winter. They’ll wake up occasionally to move around, like we do in our sleep. In the Northeast, sometimes food is available all during the winter, and the bears will leave their dens to forage. 

Getting ready for the colder months is signaled by the shorter days and longer nights, which in turn cause hormonal changes within the bears to tell them it’s time to get ready to settle down for the winter. 

We react to these seasonal changes as well, as we get ready to face chillier mornings, earlier sunsets, and winter weather.  

Grab a hot drink, cozy up and then click here to read more in our article about bears and the fall!