The main reason bears hibernate is based on their diet. Fish, berries, insects and vegetation are unavailable under the deep winter snows. Nature provides the bear with an insatiable appetite during times of plenty, enabling the bear to consume large quantities of food to store as fat for the coming winter sleep. Scientific research indicates that the main purpose of hibernation in bears is to reduce the number of calories burned when food is scarce rather than a response to the frigid temperature. Despite the intense cold that surrounds them, bears burn less than half as many calories during their winter sleep as they do when active in the summer months and do just fine living off their fat reserves.

Soon snow will blanket the high country and the bears will sleep, awaiting spring. Native American tribal legends tell of bears sucking their paws in the den to sustain themselves during the winter. William Wood (New England's Prospect, 1634) reported, "In the winter, [bears] take themselves to the clefts of rocks...to shelter them from the cold; and food being scant in those cold and hard times, they live only by sleeping and sucking their paws, which kept them as fat as they are in Summer."

Bears in northern latitudes shed their foot pads during late winter and may sometimes lick their feet and devour portions of the shed pads. The re-grown pads are often very tender and a bear's feet may crack and bleed when the animal first leaves the den.

Bears are not choosy and will use many materials or sites to create a winter den. They will often choose caves, brush piles or hollow trees as well as rock piles and on occasion, human structures. Some bears seek a little extra comfort and will often line the den with twigs, grasses, moss or other available vegetation.

In NW Montana, Ursus americanus or black bear and Ursus arctos, the grizzly bear, are considered sympatric species in that they occupy roughly the same territory but do not interbreed. In a comprehensive study of grizzly bears conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, it was determined that approximately 765 grizzly bears live in Northwestern Montana, nearly two-and-a-half times more bears than previously thought. It is also estimated that black bears number in the tens of thousands in this neck of the woods. Hunters harvest an average of 1,200 black bears statewide every year, and more than half of them come from Northwest Montana.

Any encounter with a bear is a potential danger; however, bears are particularly agressive prior to hibernation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in its publication "Close Encounters with Grizzlies",

advises the following when encountering bears in the wild:

"Bears are naturally shy and typically avoid humans. Encounters usually occur because the bear has been attracted by food, garbage, or other odors; or has been surprised by a hiker. The most common causes of an attack are a person surprising a bear at close range, approaching a female with cubs, or getting close to a carcass or other food source. It is best to educate yourself about bears and learn to avoid encounters: don’t take actions that attract bears; know signs of bears and steer clear of them; and know how to properly alert bears to your presence. But if you do inadvertently encounter a bear, here are some tips for ensuring the safety of both yourself and the bear.

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