Aster standing on log - Apr 26The day started with a check on snow conditions in the vicinity of Juliet’s den. We went no closer than a quarter mile to make sure whatever happens with the family leaving the den is not prompted by us. Snow is patchy in the woods and essentially gone from open areas. Snow is not what is keeping the family in the den. It may be that the snowstorm of a couple days ago and the wind that followed were deterrents. We saw only one white pine within a quarter mile from the den, and we don’t know if it is situated to Juliet’s liking. If Juliet is considering the safety of a long walk to a refuge tree, wind could be a factor. Windy days make rustling sounds everywhere and keep bears on edge. This evening will mark 226 days at the den and counting.
Fern's collar in her denNext, 
Bitten birch near Fern's denSue and Jim went to 2-year-old Fern’s den to give her an adult radio-collar and GPS. They found her collar encased in snow and ice at the entrance of the den—and no bear. Logs nearby were torn up in her search for grubs before she left the area. They checked a stand of white pines north of the den but didn’t see her. Their instincts were right, though. On the way, they found her fecal plug (13 ounces) that Sue will check for contents. We hope we can get a radio-collar on Fern soon.
Log torn apart for grubsOn
Fecal plug to Ursula and her two remaining female yearlings (her third cub disappeared during the hunt last fall). They got close enough to the family to hear Ursula grunting to the cubs, which were likely running away on this windy day (gusts to 22 MPH). They circled Jim and Sue out of sight and headed downwind. No luck in changing Ursula’s GPS unit.
Aster's wound visible - Apr 26Sue got a remarkable video of Aster yesterday. What a bear! She ignores Sue and goes about her life oblivious to the videotaping from a few feet away. The fact that she is hurt and vulnerable does not make her shy of a researcher with video camera. 
Aster's wound - Apr 26Yesterday, we captured the story of Aster’s condition. Aster was on a log but hesitant to jump down and put too much weight on her hurt left leg. She landed mostly on her right leg, touched her left leg to the ground only briefly to maintain balance and quickly pulled it up as if too much weight on it was painful. Shortly, she sat down and licked the exit wound, giving a detailed view of it in the video. We'll post the video within the next couple days.
After a careful review of the video footage we believe the exit wound is doing fine. It appears to be healing around some tissue that likely will fall off as the process continues. We have sent still images to a vet tech for review.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.