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Just wondering if anyone else was starting to be plauged with this already...here were we live it has been the worst year for feed I have EVER seen. The only feed there was this year was acorns, no manzanitas, no cherries, no silk tassle and what acorns there were have been gobbled up and the bears are starting to disapear to sleep or moving out of the area. The weather is already acting like December, snowing and of course storming every weekend. Kinda sucks for me but at least maybe the usual round of exterminators that show up around here every bear season won't stay for long this year

Bad feed year here in the northwestern Upper Peninsula of Michigan, too.
Over the years, bears have been in an out of dens as early as the first week of October...and it seems like its driven by lack of natural feed.

We have exterminators here, too. Mostly in the form of commercial bear baiting operations. They're not licensed or regulated in Michigan allowing them to saturated most of the public land in the region. Fortunately, bad weather has likely helped reduced their bear kill a little.

I am in Northern Wi. This was a poor year for natural bear feed also. The bears were fatter than normal this year as well. I can't figure it out.
Kyle

Kyle...maybe bear bait has become a viable food source for bear in the fall. I believe it has here around Ontonagon, Michigan.

No doubt deer baiting has become a mainstay for the deer, too. It supports the deer feed industry in this part of the world, and obviously deer are feeding on that stuff by the ton.

Sorry to your bears are going up already.Here we have the oppsite hot high 80's everyday and season opens on the 15th maybe some cooler weather next week.....as for mash never have there been this many acorns you cant walk in the woods with out seeing them in every holler and ridge so many that the bears are staying out of the deer hunters corn piles.

Just starting to see bear moving. They haven't had anything to eat, on the mountain, till now, but the acorns are falling and they are moving more.

They are moving more in southern W.V too, mash is fair, acorns good in places, no autumn olives, some grapes . Saw a bear in 90 degree heat at 2 pm yesterday digging on a log, turned dogs on him and he treed right there. I went to the tree to discover he was digging out a yellow jacket nest, they were everywhere stinging me and the dogs. I got the dogs and got out of there.

Theres a ton of acorns and bear with them on the coast from Ukiah to Orick. Mostly white oaks and some live oaks.

Lots of acorns over here Liz, good thing to 'cuz there aint nothing else!! I have seen better acorn years, but the bears are still lovin' it!!