June is bear season in Granby.
According to Connor Hogan, director of the McLean Game Refuge, there are currently at least three sows with cubs in the eastern portion of the Game Refuge and likely at least one more mother bear with cubs in the west.
“I’d estimate that we typically have somewhere between ten to twenty bears in the Game Refuge,” Hogan said.
Bear cubs are born from late December through early February and spend the first 16 months of their life with their mother before venturing out on their own.
“These curious young bears account for many of the summer bear sightings around Granby,” Hogan noted. “And June is also the first month of bear breeding season, when you might see bears searching for a mate.”
In the early spring, before berries ripen and other food sources become available, the black bears in the Game Refuge survive primarily on a diet of skunk cabbage in the floodplain forest. But, Hogan added, bears have a diverse diet, including insects, frogs, birds and even deer fawns, as well as the calorie-rich nuts from the oak and hickory forests. The abundance of calorie-dense foods, combined with Granby’s typically mild winters, makes the Game Refuge an ideal breeding ground for large black bears.
Hogan explained that there is a low-risk of negative bear encounters if we respect bear habitat and take precautions to protect both the human and bear populations. “Black bears rarely instigate encounters with people,” Hogan said. “The primary source of trouble comes from us, when we don’t follow the basic rules of bear safety.”
As the director of the McLean Game Refuge, Hogan would like all Granby residents and hikers along the trails to adhere to a few simple guidelines:
When in bear country, leash your dog at all times. “There’s a misconception that bringing a dog into bear country is a deterrent for bears, but dogs actually increase the likelihood of a bear encounter because dogs are descended from wolves, which, ecologically, are a bear’s primary natural predator.” Hogan explained. “To protect dogs, bears and people, the simple solution is to make sure dogs are leashed and under control at all times.”
Don’t be afraid, be thoughtful. “Respect is better than fear,” Hogan said. “Black bears are wary and risk-averse, so they are not looking to cause problems. When we respect bears, we protect ourselves, and we protect bears from unnecessary encounters.”
Scare bears away from your house and yard. As Hogan elaborated, “I understand why some people resist this one, because it can be exciting to see a bear in the neighborhood. But the most dangerous bear is not the mythical mother bear protecting her cubs. It is the bear that has lost its fear of people. So one of the best ways to protect the bears is to scare them away when they come too close to your home or yard.”
By following these simple guidelines, Granby residents and visitors can help keep people, pets and bears safe. For more information about bears and other conservation efforts from the McLean Game Refuge, visit mcleangamerefuge.org.