Mating season for bears is in full swing. My TC’s videoed two different females being followed by males. Sows with cubs have all but disappeared around bear marking trees and for good reason. A mother bear wouldn’t want conflict with a male bear. I have read that a male bear will kill cubs in attempt to push the female back into estrus. Think about that for a moment. It doesn’t make sense. The likelihood of a lactating female coming back into heat is rare and do you think the male is going to stick around that long? If it were true that killing a cub does send female back into estrus , wouldn’t all the cubs need to be removed.

Male black bears are opportunistic foragers. If a cub or fawn were in its path, likely it would be killed and eaten.

MassWildlife put together an excellent presentation about co-existing with bears. The presentation is informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnH_7ZHlFNo

Jim