Scientific Name
Ursus americanus
Common Names
American Black Bear, Cinnamon Bear, Bruin (a common name for all bears)
Description
- Length: 4.5-8 feet (1.4-2.4 metres)
- Height at the shoulder: 2.5-3 feet (0.8-1 metre)
- Weight: 300-500 (135-227 kg.)
This medium-sized bear is usually black with a brown muzzle, lacks a shoulder hump, and often has a white patch on the chest. Although black is the predominant color, chocolate and cinnamon brown color phases are also common, which often results in people confusing them with brown bears.
General Info
Black Bears live primarily in forested areas and are very adapt at climbing trees. A Black Bear uses its front paws to wrap around the tree and then use’s the hind paw’s claws to dig into the tree. Black Bears are solitary animals except for a mother with cubs. The average lifespan of a black bear in the wild is 20 years.
A Black Bears eyesight and hearing is about the same as human’s but their olfactory system is about a hundred times more sensitive that a human’s. Their sense of smell is so acute that they can locate their prey from miles (kilometres) away. They use their sense of smell to locate food and mates during the breeding season. Black Bears are classified as carnivores and do hunt other animals but for the most part their diet is comprised of plants like fruits, berries and nuts.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity at three to four years of age and males a year or so later. Mating takes place in June, July, and August, and pairs may remain together for only a few hours or for several days. Pregnancy last s about 220 days, and the cubs are born in a maternity den in January and February. Litter size ranges from one to five, but two is the average. Cubs may be weaned at six to eight months, but they remain with their mothers for a year and a half. Consequently, the most often that female black bears can mate, unless they lose their cubs prematurely, is every two years.
The Hunt
Our spring and fall bear hunts are conducted from our full-service American Plan Lodge on Amphibian Lake. Similar to our moose hunts, we have exclusive hunting rights in this area covering a large portion of land. Our spring hunt runs from the last week of May until the second week of June. Our fall hunt begins the second week of August and continues until the end of September.
Although we have a lot of area, we only conduct minimal spring and fall hunts from this location; and this is why we can boast such high success rates with many bears in the six-foot range. Although many of our larger bears are black, there is also a good chance that you could harvest a colour phase bear.
Your hunt will take place over well-established bait sites that have been pre-baited well in advance of your hunt. Each site has a large comfortable permanent tree stand. All of our bear guides have years of experience and will work extremely hard to ensure that your hunt is successful.
Each Hunt Includes
- Very comfortable accommodations in modern cabins
- Hot and cold running water and showers
- Return air transportation from Lac du Bonnet airbase
- Professional guides with many years of experience
- Home-cooked meals provided during your stay
