June forages on wild calla - May 31, 2012Last night, Aster and Aspen undoubtedly met Big Harry—likely their father. Big Harry’s appearance apparently triggered family break-up and set June on the course producing another litter with him. Maybe. Here’s the story.
At 8:24 PM, we saw June, Aster, and Aspen peacefully grazing on the lush grass along Bear Head Lake State Park road. We drove a mile down the road to a turnaround and headed a short way back up the road and at 8:32 PM saw a big bear sitting on the road near where June and family likely first came onto the road. We stopped a hundred yards short of him and watched. When he got up and slowly lumbered down the roadside, we recognized the bald patch on his rear above his tail. Big Harry!
Harry was obviously tracking, and we suspected he was tracking June. Shortly, he passed a dropping from a female yearling—identified by the diameter and the fact that the urine and feces on the pavement were in the same spot. Aster. We had lucked onto a scene we could watch play out.
Birch bite tree - May 31, 2012
Bear bites on birch tree - May 31, 2012Soon, Harry led us to the roadside area where we’d seen June and family grazing, but they were now some distance north. Harry tracked on. As the trail grew fresher, he marked more frequently, walking over bushes and saplings and undoubtedly urinating on them. He stood and back-rubbed a 6-inch diameter birch, the post of a ‘Buried Cable’ sign, and the post of a sign welcoming visitors to Bear Head Lake State Park. There he left the roadside and walked into the woods at exactly 9:15 PM. He had walked exactly a mile from where we first spotted him. Had he tracked June through the woods before tracking her up the road?
We listened with telemetry. June and family were a short way into the woods and no longer moving away. Her GPS location showed her to be 234 yards inside the woods. Harry undoubtedly caught up to them in minutes. We thought his presence would trigger immediate break-up as was captured on film in the documentary Bearwalker of the Northwoods on June 8, 2008. We listened by ear and telemetry until exactly 10:15 PM when it was too dark to see. We listened for vocalizations and distinctive sound of ‘claws on bark’ but heard nothing from that distance. However, Aster’s signal was so much louder than June’s that we surmised that Aster was up a tree. Indeed, we later found that the family spent the night at a huge white pine there.
Warning sign - May 31, 2012
Bear bites on warning sign - May 31, 2012We’re getting used to nothing going as we predict. The next morning Lynn drove to the vicinity to document that June’s and Aster’s telemetry signals were well apart signaling family break-up. Wrong. June and Aster (but not Aspen) were grazing together beside the road where Big Harry had entered the woods the night before. Lynn immediately called Sue Mansfield at 8:27 AM to report the surprise. Sue was already on her way to walk with June. Five minutes later, Lynn and Sue passed each other on the road. A couple minutes later, Sue called Lynn. June was alone. We evidently caught the family in the midst of family break-up with Aspen already on his way and Aster about to depart 11 hours after Big Harry had come on the scene. Sue spent the next 5 hours (until 1:28 PM) walking with June without a glimpse of Aster, Aspen, or Big Harry.
What happened overnight? Was June not ready for Big Harry? Did his presence accelerate estrus and trigger the family break-up 11 hours later? How did June accept Harry so quickly on June 8, 2008, but not be immediately ready this year on May 31st? How long before she will be receptive? Where did Big Harry go? Will he find Lily or Donna in the meantime and return to June? All we can do is wait and hope we are lucky enough to fill in the remaining pieces of the puzzle.
State Park welcome sign - May 31, 2012
Bear bites and hair on backside of sign - May 31, 2012Meanwhile, Jewel (and cubs) and Braveheart were both briefly in Donna’s territory before moving on. Lily was seen on the move sniffing the ground and ignoring any distractions like food or people. Big Harry might do well to visit her to kill a day or two before returning to June. With the lack of big males we are seeing, June will probably be safely celibate until Harry returns. All questions to answer.
A video of the 2010 courtship of June and Big Harry is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmwg211kfV8.
Another video of Jewel and cubs from May 12 is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHnmQg0Fh2w.
Things are moving on development of the Speakers Bureau. A position description is now posted on the Volunteer Web page (http://www.bear.org/website/open-volunteer-positions/825-speakers-bureau-member.html), and many openings are available. This is an excellent way to make a difference for bears in your own communities.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center