Piedmont Triad on watch as black bears increase food intake for winter

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Black bears in North Carolina are increasing their food consumption as they prepare for winter, and residents in the Piedmont Triad should be alert, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) said .

During late summer through fall, bears experience hyperphagia, or “extreme appetite,” and can gain 20% to nearly 100% of their summer weight by eating as much as three pounds per day. They feed on hard and soft mast like acorns and hickory nuts, berries, grapes, and black gum, as well as agricultural crops, bird feeders, and unsecured garbage or compost.

“Even bears that won’t den until January or February still look for food practically around the clock,” said Colleen Olfenbuttel, NCWRC game mammals and surveys supervisor. “In areas where bears have found dependab