The information on this page is meant to provide a snapshot of the habitat needs of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Prince George forest district.

7 14 Food

Grizzly bears have a very broad diet. They spend majority of their time eating vegetation, but will also eat dead animals, young deer and moose. They also feed on ants, wasps, and rodents.

Click here for a list of plants used by grizzly bears.

6 13 Range

Grizzlies will move extensively between various areas for shelter, denning and food sources. Plateau bears - those living in flat and rolling country at lower elevations - live in larger areas (referred to as home ranges), and occur at lower densities than mountain bears. For plateau bears, adult females may have home ranges of 64 to 1,607km², while adult male home ranges are much larger, ranging from 889 to 4,361km². Female mountain bears - those living in the mountainous areas of the district - live in home ranges that are from 20 to 284km². Male mountain home ranges vary from 117 to 273km².

5 12 Habitat

Generally, grizzlies prefer moist, rich, open habitat that provides hiding opportunities and shade. Bears also make use of riparian areas (areas close to streams, lakes and other wetlands), avalanche chutes and old burned areas. Cutblocks offer some good habitat for grazing, anting and feeding on berries; however, increased human activity may reduce use of these areas.

4 11 Spring - early April to mid July

Bears leave their dens (referred to as den emergence) from mid April to late June . They will usually go to south facing slopes with well developed soil soon after den emergence. Main spring foods include freshly sprouted dandelion, stinging nettle and sedges. Avalanche chutes are used for feeding on emergent vegetation such as corms and vetches.

3 0 Summer - mid July to the mid September

As early vegetation matures, bears will seek out later melting slopes to take advantage of newly emerging more succulent vegetation. Cow parsnip is an important food source in early summer. They will feed on the lower 10-15cm of the stock sometimes for weeks. By mid to late summer most vegetation will have hardened off. This is usually when bears start seeking a bountiful harvest of berries.

2 9 Fall - mid September to den entry

Huckleberries are the most used berry throughout the district. The best crops are usually in forest openings, especially on old burn sites. Intense bouts of anting occur until the first hard frost. Most anting consists of ripping apart dead wood, flipping rocks and logs to reveal the ants.

When the ground freezes plateau bears dig for the roots of dandelions and Osmorthiza while mountain bears continue to dig for glacier lilly bulbs and the roots of other plants.

1 8 Denning

Grizzly bears dig their dens in late fall, shortly before they enter them. Dens are dug into a slope often using the roots of trees or shrubs for a ceiling. Small branches and grasses may be used to make a bed in the den. Evidence of dead lower branches removed from an area often indicates a den site is nearby. Several day beds, made of bedding materials, may be found surrounding the den, and excavated soil and rocks are often visible form the air. Bears seldom reuse an excavated den but will often come back to the same vicinity to dig their new den.