WILSON, Wyo. — It’s that time of year again, when the bears are increasing their activity on Moose Wilson Road in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) in anticipation of their impending hibernation. While this is an exciting time for wildlife watching, it’s bear-y important for visitors to understand why bears need space now more than ever.
The area along Moose Wilson Road, a corridor connecting the separate towns of Moose and Wilson and providing access to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and the Granite and Death Canyon Trailheads, is dominated by hawthorn and chokecherry shrubs. These berries are an important food source for both black and grizzly bears, and an increase in foraging means bears are more likely to be seen along roadways and trails.
According to GTNP, September is when bears start stocking up on fat to take them through the winter, a period called hyperphagia that happens through the fall. Friends of Bridger-Teton National Forest (FBTNF) explain on their website that hyperphagia comes from the root words hyper, meaning “over,” and phagia, meaning “hunger.”
“This means that they eat and drink nearly constantly, consuming about 20,000 calories per day to put on weight and prepare for hibernation,” GTNP writes on its Facebook page.
FBTNF confirms bears can spend up to 22 hours a day eating, gaining up to four pounds a day. However, foraging for such high volumes of food can present dangers for bears; FBTNF also confirms that the number of bear-related conflicts rise in the fall as bears get closer to the road or seek out unsecured garbage, bird feeders, compost, pet food, disposed bacon grease fire pits and more.
According to FBTNF, a bear’s sense of smell is estimated to be about seven times stronger than a bloodhound’s. Bears are able to sense food from miles away.
Bears can also demonstrate increased aggression during this time, when they’re constantly hungry and sleep-deprived due to extra hours spent eating. GTNP discourages visitors and recreationists from feeding bears or surrounding, crowding or blocking a bear’s movement.
In GTNP, federal regulations require 100 yards between wildlife viewers and a bear; while other national parks might enforce shorter distances, GTNP says that after years of wildlife management, 100 years is the minimum distance to keep both visitors and bears safe.
GTNP encourages the use of binoculars or scopes to safely view bears without disturbing the animals, preventing them from accessing vital food resources or causing them stress.
On Moose Wilson Road, wildlife viewing must be done from the road without stopping a vehicle or exiting it.
