Black bears wicked hungry

Black bears that haven’t eaten for several months are starting to emerge from their winter dens, as state wildlife officials warn Bay Staters to remove bird feeders and other potential food sources from their yards to help keep bears out of neighborhoods.

“The big issue is they’re very hungry after not eating for 4 to 5 months,” Dave Wattles, black bear and furbearer biologist at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, told the Herald on Thursday.

“With not a lot of natural food available, they’re drawn to human-associated foods, and bird feeders are the number one human-associated food for bears in Massachusetts,” he added. “So our message for residents is to take down your bird feeders.”

There are at least 4,500 black bears in Massachusetts, and their range is expanding eastward.

Natural foods such as acorns and other nuts are usually available on the ground, but last year’s fall hard mast crop was meager.

Bears will often ignore seasonally available natural foods, including skunk cabbage, in favor of an easy meal at a backyard bird feeder.

“Bird feeders are the gateway food for bears,” Wattles said. “They’ll exploit other foods at homes as well.”

In addition to removing bird feeders, residents should secure other potential food sources, including garbage or open compost.

People need to also secure bee hives, chickens, and livestock. Properly maintained electric fencing is the only way to protect chickens or bee hives from bears, Wattles said.

“Electric fencing is really the key to that,” he added. “Bears have learned that chicken coops can be an easy meal for them.”

When female black bears emerge from hibernation with their newborn cubs and they find food in neighborhoods, the mama bear is training her cubs to explore backyards to find food.

“If they find food on decks, they’ll return there in the future,” Wattles said. “The same goes for breaking into sheds, and sometimes even breaking into homes.

“You need to make sure you’re not attracting bears by removing those food sources,” he added.

If you enjoy watching birds in your yard, Masswildlife suggests adding a water feature, growing native plants, shrubs, and trees to attract birds.