June's den from 2005-2006With Lynn tied to his computer to work on Northwoods Ecology Hall items, he scarcely got outside.
He did check one empty den—where June denned with Pete and George in the winter of 2005-2006. It’s the remains of an old outhouse from when that spot in the forest was a campground several decades ago. No smell. Just a pretty nice den.
We remember the days leading up to her entering it. On September 26, we got a resting heart rate of 34 from June and an active heart rate a few hours later of 84. We were surprised at the difference of 50 beats per minute. The low resting heart rate was a sign of her trust and an example of the kind of data that can be learned in trust-based research.
Nearly a month later, on October 22, June and her cubs were near this den, although we didn’t know about the den yet. The next day (October 23), her signal disappeared. We now believe she was inside and that the cement blocked her signal. Unable to find her from the ground, we went up in an airplane on October 26 and were surprised to find her signal where we’d last radio-located her on October 22. 
Inside June's old denApparently, the signal went skyward out of the opening better than it traveled at ground level. We checked on the ground and tracked down a weak signal to find June, Pete, and George safe and sound in the den just 75 feet off the road.
In spring, March 21, 2006, we saw that June and yearlings had been raking additional bedding into the den and eating snow. The bedding was wood chips from a rotting tree trunk about 6 feet from the den.
The next day (March 22), Sue videoed them raking some more and eating deer and grouse droppings. They left the den on April 1—just a day earlier than June had left her den of the previous year when Pete and George were cubs.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.