Bears and Fires

[NickCNC]

I'm uneducated on this one and I may be asking a dumb question. But how soon will bears reestablish in a burn area? I'm guessing since they rely on shrubs and acorns that it won't be til at least the next year, whereas deer and elk may move right back in at the sign of regrowth? Anyone have insight on this?

 

[kwyeewyk]

Depends a lot on how it burns, a patchy burn with lots of unburnt vegetation they may never leave, or return within days/weeks. The hotter and more continous burns where vegetation doesn't grow back for a while I wouldn't expect return until the vegetation returns.

Monitored a burned area from last fall's fires here in Washington, very little regrowth all fall and early spring, then it exploded with growth around April and now I'm guessing many people wouldn't realize it burned last year based on the amount of vegetation. Saw a bear in that area in May munching across the hillside, too far for a decent picture.

 

[NickCNC]

I'm in CA and part of my main area has burned this summer. I doubt they'll be back this year due to lack of growth, but I don't know how much it burned either

 

[kwyeewyk]

If the area isn't still closed from the fire you could poke around and see what it looks like. Open ground usually makes it easy to see sign and animals if they're around. I'd check with whoever owns/manages it to make sure it's open to the public, and be cautious of trees that might fall, burnt stump/root holes, loose rocks, etc. if you do get off the road.

My guess is that it won't be very good this fall unless there's a miracle shift in precip. Bears like food in large quantities so if there isn't something good there they'll be somewhere else.