Young Jackson-Area Bear Still Out In January Might Be Confused By Warm Weather

A young black bear has raised a stir in the Jackson area, reported to be still wide awake and running around this month when bears typically retreat to their dens in late October or early November.

Local wildlife tour guide and photographer Jeffrey Soulliere got photos of the bear on Christmas Eve.

Other residents said they spotted the bear earlier this month, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.  

Soulliere told Cowboy State Daily that the bear appears to be a juvenile or “subadult,” perhaps a 3- or 4-year-old.

Black bears and grizzlies typically separate from their mothers at around 2 to 3 years old.

It’s possible that between the unusually warm weather and having recently separated from its mother, the young bear might be confused about when bedtime is supposed to be, Soulliere said.

“I could see how this could be confusing to a young bear, trying to figure out what to do,” he said. "It’s still smelling food, and there are still easily-accessible sources. There’s no huge snowdrifts covering the food sources."

It’s not unheard of for bears to be out and about in the Jackson area well past the usual hibernation schedule. 

Soulliere took photos of Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, and her litter of four cubs still out on New Year’s Eve 2020/New Year’s Day 2021.

Winter Bear Shenanigans

Unusually warm weather so far this winter has people asking whether bears might be compelled to stay out later than usual.

For the most part, that’s probably not the case, bear experts have told Cowboy State Daily.

The availability of food and bears’ biological clocks probably play a bigger role than the weather in determining when bears go into hibernation.

Even so, bear experts caution people from letting their guard down too much in grizzly country during the winter. 

Bears have been documented out of their dens every month of the year.

Soulliere said that when he caught Grizzly 399 and her four cubs outside in 2020-2021, there was typical winter weather.

However, Grizzly 399 might have stayed out late that year because of the extreme demands of raising the quads through their first summer.

“When I saw her, she was heading to the den with all four of her cubs,” he said. "The reason she was still out through all of December was because of the nutritional demands that she couldn’t meet that October and November. 

"She didn’t have the poundage on her yet."

Black Bear Might Have Finally Gone To Bed

Soulliere said he hasn’t seen the young black bear since the day he took photos of it, and reports of sightings have tapered off.

A recent change in the weather in the Jackson area might have finally prompted the bear to go into hibernation, he said.

After spring-like conditions that lasted into early January, “we’re just now starting to look a little more like winter,” he said.

Soulliere has been observing bears and other wildlife in the area for years. 

He guides wilderness trips throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and has an extensive collection of wildlife photographs through his photography business, Life So Wild Images.

He said that by his estimation, the young bear, though perhaps somewhat confused this year, has good odds of surviving the winter and going on to have a good life.

Soulliere said the bear looked well-fed and robust when he saw it.

“It had some weight on the back end,” he said. "That back end was definitely a healthy 3- or 4-year-old black bear’s butt."

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.