The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) advises residents to take preventative steps to secure attractants as black bears’ eating behavior intensifies in the late summer and fall due to hyperphagia. Hyperphagia is a critical biological phase when bears significantly increase their food consumption to prepare for the colder months when natural food becomes scarce. During this time, bears will actively search for any source of food, whether natural or human-provided, which makes securing attractants especially important.
“During the hyperphagia phase, black bears increase their daily calories from 2,000 to 3,500 calories in spring and summer to approximately 15,000 to 20,000 calories a day.” said Black Bear Biologist Jenna Malzahn. “To put this into perspective, 20,000 calories is equivalent to 9 pounds of acorns, 70 pounds of wild cherries, or just one typical birdfeeder that can hold 7-pounds of black oil sunflower seeds.”
To satisfy this increase in appetite, bears will consume a variety of hard and soft mast species, from acorns and hickory nuts to pokeberry, cherry, grape and black gum. However, they’ll also take advantage of human-provided food sources like bird feeders, outdoor pet food and unsecured garbage and compost, as well as agricultural crops, such as soybeans and standing corn. With this level of food consumption, bears can put on 3 pounds per day and gain anywhere from 20% to 100% of their summer weight!
During hyperphagia, black bears travel extensively to search for food for up to 20 hours per day. This increased movement and activity significantly raises the chances of close proximity between humans and bears. When bears repeatedly access human-provided food sources, the likelihood of close encounters increases and the chances grow that a bear will return to areas offering easy meals, such as unsecured garage, bird seed, and pet food.
NCWRC experiences an increase in reports of bears in public and residential areas, in the woods and on roadways during this period. The agency suggests methods to avoid bear encounters to help keep both humans and bears safer:
- Review the BearWise Basics for Home and Outdoors.
- Make sure anything that might attract a bear is safely out of sight, smell and reach.
- Be extra alert when driving or walking at night.
- Check the yard before letting out your pets.
- Know what to do if you encounter a bear.
- Share what you know with neighbors and others in your community.
Bearwise.org is a comprehensive resource that offers proven methods to avoid attracting bears.
Six At-Home BearWise Basics for coexisting with black bears provide important steps to keeping bears from looking for food at or near homes and public places.
“All the extra fat bears build up during hyperphagia allows them to ride out the winter months when natural food becomes scarce,” said Statewide BearWise Coordinator Ashley Hobbs. “Most bears in our state will find a den by mid-December, however, if bears have a consistent human-provided food supply during the winter months, like bird seed and garbage, they may not need to den at all since their food supply is never scarce. Bears will continue their search for food all year as long as it’s available. It’s important to take extra care to remove human-provided food sources in the fall and shore up any potential den sites around your home, like crawlspaces and decks.”
Bearwise.org offers instructions to prevent denning in crawlspaces, or under porches and decks. Bears have been known to den and give birth under bushes and brush piles, or under piles of building materials, as well as spaces under buildings, garages, storage sheds or vacation homes that are vacant over the winter.
Contact the N.C. Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401 Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or your local district wildlife biologist for questions or to report information about a bear incident.
For more information on black bears, visit Bearwise.org, including these resources: