Bear Cam lets you watch hibernating bear in Monroe County — she may even have a cub

By Marcus Schneck

A black bear den in Monroe County is the focus of the latest 24-7 livestream from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The livestream, which can be accessed through the commission’s website, originates from the same bear den under the deck of a cabin that the agency livestreamed two years ago, and the female bear hibernating there could be the same one.

Female black bears typically breed and have cubs every two years. Based on sounds picked up in the den, it’s believed the bear in the livestream is with at least one cub.

Pennsylvania’s black bears usually are born in January and begin walking in about eight weeks. They leave the den when 3 months old.

During the 2019 run of the black bear livestream, the bruins left the den on April 11. HDOnTap provides the streaming services and Comcast Business provides the internet connectivity.

“Watching the female and her cub was such a joy in 2019, it quickly became one of our staff ’s favorite cams to watch,” said HDOnTap Co-Founder and CEO Tim Sears.

The bear den livestream brings to four the number of game commission livestreams planned into the spring.

Last year’s Farm Country Eagle Cam, which provides a bird’s-eye view into a long-established nest in a giant sycamore overlooking scenic farmland in an undisclosed Pennsylvania location, is back.

The ever-popular Hanover Eagle Cam has returned to the commission after a year of being sponsored by Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association. The first egg of the year was spotted at the Hanover nest this week.

And the agency’s Snow Goose Cam got up and running at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in January, ahead of the snow goose migration through Pennsylvania, and the action is picking up.

All four livestreams can be accessed through the agency’s website.

Game commission Information and Education Director Steve Smith said the agency’s livestreams allow viewers to see wildlife behavior unfold in front of them, at closer proximity than usually is possible in the wild.

“Viewers often tell us how appreciative they are for the entertaining, educational opportunities the livestreams provide, but also for how the livestreams have given them a whole new appreciation of wildlife,” Smith said.