Soon To Be On There Own

 

The cover picture with the family of three bears will be disbanding soon. With the upcoming mating season, the sow will send these  yearling cubs off on their own  soon, as she will be an eligible candidate during this  Springs mating cycle. Massachusetts prime  bear mating season typically starts mid-May to mid-June.

The two yearlings were born in January 2025. The first time these bears passed one of my trail cameras was in early June of 2025. The sow is small and has shown that she has the protective instinct to raise and keep both bear cubs safe for a year and a half in an area with many bears.

I always enjoy finding the first fresh bear sign of the year. This morning while making TC sets, I noticed a large bear scat pile, then a second. They were full of green matter suggesting that the bear had found a skunk cabbage patch. The bear also tore into a snag and rotten logs. A scent marking tree close by had fresh bite marks on it. I set a trail camera to watch the activity around the tree.

Jim

Bears On The Move - Off To Good Start

 

I was able to visit most of my TC sets last week to make final adjustments, and glad that I did. Most locations needed cleanup from the recent high winds with two sets having blown over trees in front of the cameras. I also moved two TC’s after reviewing full SD cards with nothing but squirrels on them .

Six  different bears have triggered TC’s so far this year with two of them coming from one of the new locations ( pic above). No sow with this year’s cubs  have passed any of my trial cameras.

I was glad to see skunk cabbage starting to sprout. Find a remote skunk cabbage patch and you’ll likely find signs of bears foraging.

No shortage of ticks this year. Treating clothes with Permethrin helps, but you still need to be mindful. I still wear long johns , pulling my socks over the bottoms and tucking in my shirt. I also wear gaiters treated with Permethrin.

Well , it’s great to be out each morning checking trail cameras and I am looking forward to seeing what adventures 2026 holds.

Jim