Holly in her denHoney has officially denned in her wooden window den as of November 16. Her last weight was 513 lbs. on November 8th (27 lbs heavier than last year’s 486). This is her fourth time (2009, 2010, 2013, and 2014) using the window den in her 8 years of being here.
Snowshoe hareFor Holly, Scott and I checked to see what kind of setup would work for a Den Cam. She heard us coming and was watching from inside the den, but there were no tracks in the snow. She is in the den like any wild bear would be.
The only tracks were from red squirrels and a snowshoe hare.
Judy McClure on 11/23/14Leaving the den, Scott spotted the hare. It wasn’t pure white yet, still having some of its brown fur that will soon be lost. We had little hope of getting pictures because my little camera requires getting close. The hare surprised both of us when it tolerated a slow approach—never moving directly toward it, minimal eye contact, and no quick movements. 
The hare even turned to nibbling balsam fir branches. It eventually scampered up a hill to within a few feet of Holly’s den and entered a rock crevice like Holly enlarged for her den. Within a minute, the hare was back out the entrance, calmly watching, and soon nibbling more balsam fir boughs.
We were excited to find a snowshoe hare making its home inside the bear enclosure. The hare has a better than average chance of survival in the enclosure where it is safe from the larger predators.
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On another subject, a Lily Fan sent a link to this article http://conservationmagazine.org/2014/10/whos-afraid-now/ that echoes the fact that “People will not coexist with animals they fear.” That’s exactly why we and many Lily Fans think it’s so important to share the truth about black bears.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.