A bear stopped by Lake Hatcher last week for a dip and drink in the lake before wandering off in search of food. There has been an increase in bear sightings recently with bears in hyperphagia, which is described by the BearSmart website as “an increase in feeding activity driven by a biological need to fatten up before bears go in to den for the winter.” Once bears enter the den, they go without food and water for months. “If they do not get enough to eat in the fall, mothers don’t produce cubs and some bears die in the den,” the website states.
