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The black bear feeding frenzy begins

The black bear feeding frenzy begins
NORTH FORTY NEWS PHOTO
Ripe chokecherries

Native chokecherries are super astringent to our taste, but the prolific berries are a mainstay for black bears, which in mid-August begin “hyperphagia,” a feeding frenzy to bulk up for hibernation.

The bears now spend up to 20 hours a day foraging, tripling their usual calorie intake and gaining about 4 pounds a day. The feast usually lasts through September, or until chokecherries and other wild foods become scarce. In October, metabolism slows way down, and the now-lethargic but very plump bears head for their dens.

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