Can a black bear jump a fence?
Bears
Can a black bear jump over a standard 4 strand barb wire fence?
Easy. They just crawl over fences a lot of the time.
I have seen a young, lean (summer)black bear leap a stone wall that was at least as high as a standard (42") 4 strand fence.
I have seen an older fat (fall) bear that couldn't have jumped over a donut.
this pic might help illustrate the difference
the "bear" on the left can jump. "Bear" on the right can't :-)
only one ive seen them cross a fence went under it.
http://www.euronews.net/nocomment/2011/06/07/black-bear-running-through-yards-in-washington-state/
Good climbers for sure.
We shot one in our wheat field once that we watched climb over a hog wire fence with single strand barbed wire on the top. Wasn't graceful or pretty but he did it. He didn't climb at the "T" posts but at one of the wooden posts every 5th or 6th post or so.... long long time ago.
One just climbed over my 8 foot deer fence in my yard the other day with no prob.
While bowhunting north of Vail a few years ago, I watched a large black bear walking down a fenceline. He stopped about 75 yds away, stood on his hind legs, and the best description I can give you is that he poured himself over the fence. Think one vertebrae at a time, pouring right over.
So, jump? Maybe. But he'll get over it.
Hmmm?
I think the question should be WILL a black bear jump a fence....
Watched a large black bear jump a barbed wire fence last year. I saw that he was wanting to cross the highway so I pulled over to see how he would deal with the fence. He didn't even hesitate, he ran up to the fence and put one foot on the fence and hopped over. He must not have put all of his weight on the fence or he would surely have broken it, but the fence just rattled a bit as he went over it.
Sounds like you have enough answers to your original question, so I will add to the: "Does a bear crap in the woods?" I found out the answer to that question last week
The area we hunt is so thick with bears that I can say without a doubt that they DO crap in the woods.....and on the pavement....and in the back yard (apple trees)....
"Does a bear crap in the woods?"
From my experience,I'd say only if they have to. Bears have a strong urge to crap only on gravel roads and trails, where people will see it. Bears will hold it untill they are ready to burst and then clench-waddle to the nearest road and then crap very 10 - 15 yards untill they are emptied out, only to start the process again. Keep track of how many piles you see on the road as compared to in the bush. It's to scare tourists.
Bears can handily scale a solid fence with a jump/pull action, but will usually go through a strand fence.
If spooked they will jump over(or into like I saw once) a fence, but usually go through or under.
It's funny that most of the fences where I hunt are down because the Black Bears have chewed down the fence posts. I don't mean just a few posts here and there either. I mean that along an old property line that roughly 75 percent of the posts over a 3 mile stretch has been either chewed down or nearly chewed in half. Also they chew the light poles up along the gravel access road into the refuge. I took my son once to see this and we counted 38 out of 40 poles had been chewed to the point that they looked like a giant beaver had been working on them. They power company came out last year and replace all the creosote poles with treated poles- but they left the old ones standing, like chew toys, so they'd leave the new poles alone.
Has anyone else seen anything like this?
Saw a cougar jump over my headboard one time, does that count?
