Wildlife Wednesday 12/03/2025

Happy #WildlifeWednesday. Visitors to The Wilderness Center often ask if bears live in our woods and the answer is… not right now. But they have in the past, and could again in the future.

Historically, American black bears were abundant throughout Ohio, prior to major human settlement. But by the 1850s bears were considered officially extirpated from the state, due to extensive deforestation and unregulated hunting.

In the past several years, however, sightings of black bears have become more common in the Buckeye state. They have a large home range (~100 miles) and prefer forested habitat with thick vegetation and are most frequently spotted in the northeastern and southeastern parts of state, likely moving in from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 

An adult black bear can weigh 150-700 pounds, with males averaging about 300 and females 175. When walking on all four legs, their height is about 3 feet at the shoulder, but when standing upright males are 5-6 feet tall and females 4-5 feet.

Fur color has high variation, and their soft coats can be chocolate brown, cinnamon brown, cream, white, and of course black. 

American black bears are omnivores, primarily foraging for fruits, berries, shoots, grasses, and nuts, though they will also eat insects, fish, eggs, carrion, and other animal protein. And they do love honey! They have an excellent sense of smell and in addition to their ability to climb trees to forage they are strong swimmers.

While generally shy and avoidant of humans, they are attracted to bird feeders, garbage cans with scraps of food, and outdoor pet bowls, which can be problematic if the bear loses its fear of people. Being bear aware is important as more and more of these charismatic creatures establish themselves as residents of Ohio.