Spring is coming, and Ted was looking perky and alert last evening when "Taught" caught him in this 4:45-minute video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6DqMZ-Ta58. Males are typically the first to leave their dens, often in mid to late March around here, and they do so with near peak testosterone levels as is described in this paper from 1976 Annual testosterone rhythm in the black bear (Ursus americanus). When they leave also depends on snow depth, though, which looks daunting at this point. Ted and I will both be happy to see the coming warmth and melting.
Thank you for all you do,
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center