I'm pretty sure it wasn't a big foot den because I didn't hear any tree knocks or see any Jacko link beef jerky wrappers on the ground :innocentwhistle:
(https://i.ibb.co/k23qk13/image.jpg)
https://youtu.be/BQUhsP24vFY
Good pic! Where bears choose to hibernate is sure interesting. Wonder if the bear dug out and enlarged a coyote den to make the hole in your picture? Many of our mountain area black bears appear to me to climb up and hibernate at higher elevations, maybe so the snow and cold are consistent through the winter. Your den looks like flat forest country.
I've seen two dens in the hollow root base of big Western red cedar trees, one in a shallow hole/cave in the side of a chalky ravine, and one I wish I'd gone back to check was merely a small haystack of long Ponderosa pine needles raked against the uphill side of an odd double trunk tree. That one was about ten vertical feet down the steep north slope from a sharp ridge line, and up against the wide tree trunk would keep anything from sliding or rolling downhill. I am sure snow would drift many feet deep over that spot in winter due to prevailing winds.
Way north near the Yukon border when hunting sheep once I glassed what looked like a giant ground squirrel den nearly a mile across a canyon from me. Something big had dug a hole in the steep hillside with a hump of dirt spreading down just like a marmot makes sometimes. It was so big it had to be the work of a grizzly, maybe prepping his den for winter. That was in October. Too far and too steep down and up to take the trouble to walk over to it.
That one is on a pretty good slope actually. They almost always seem to den up at higher elevations here too. I think drainage and wind and sun all play a part in where they decide to make a den and also using natural geographic features.
Thanks. I misread the slope of the photo. On second look, makes much more sense.
They don't seem to get too fancy in their den building, I would sure hate to try to make a winter living in there ha ha.
I have seen them den up in a culvert, or just under some heavy deadfall.
You did go inside to check it out didn't you?
Yes, after I first emptied my 32 round Glockzilla magazine into it :innocentwhistle:
Quote from: nastygunz on October 03, 2019, 01:27:36 AM
Yes, after I first emptied my 32 round Glockzilla magazine into it :innocentwhistle:
To quote a former member. :yoyo: :yoyo: :yoyo: :highclap: :highclap: :highclap: :yoyo: :yoyo: :yoyo:
I thought about going into it and then poking my head out for a good funny picture but then I said F that I'm kind of claustrophobic ha ha. :biggrin:
Quote from: nastygunz on October 03, 2019, 02:01:10 PM
I thought about going into it and then poking my head out for a good funny picture but then I said F that I'm kind of claustrophobic ha ha. :biggrin:
LOL! :alscalls: Thats how I woulda been. :innocentwhistle:
Very cool pick :yoyo:
I told my Sweetums to hop in it for a funny pic and she said "F That!" :innocentwhistle: :biggrin: I am going to hold off until winter and see if I can find a bear inside there and get a good headlock picture with it :yoyo: