What do bears eat?
Bears are an opportunistic feeder, which means they will eat whatever is easily accessible. Common foods include berries, fruit, acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts, insects, roots, grasses, reptiles, amphibians, fish and carrion. As the opportunity arises, bears will also eat garbage, agricultural crops and bird food. Bears feed heavily during the fall months in order to increase fat reserves for the upcoming winter. Bears waking from hibernation typically feed on colonizing insects (ants and bees) or emerging green vegetation and are easily attracted to human-related food sources such as trash, birdseed and pet food.
