Black bear at Whiskeytown.

BEAR COUNTRY
Whiskeytown is home to a healthy population of black bears. Adult male black bears usually weigh less than 400 pounds, while adult females usually weigh less than 250 pounds. Despite their ungainly appearance, bears can run at speeds of up to 30 mph for short distances. They can also climb trees and swim. Black bears see in color, but their eyesight is not as well developed as in humans. To compensate they have good hearing and a very keen sense of smell.

Bears are omnivorous which means they eat both plants and animals. Most of a bear’s waking hours are spent searching for food. Given a bear’s keen sense of smell, constant search for food, and high intelligence, many camping areas in bear country are experiencing bear problems. The Whiskeytown area is no exception.

Problems arise when bears get into human food or trash. When eating human food or garbage bears become “conditioned” to being around people and, in their quest for food, ultimately become aggressive and dangerous. In some cases bears have taken food from visitors.

By following a few simple rules you can help keep Whiskeytown’s bears wild and behaving naturally:

1. Never feed bears or leave food unattended even for a few minutes.
2. Always use bear-proof food storage lockers and bear-proof trash containers.
3. If bear-proof food storage lockers are not provided, store food odor-free containers and out of sight in a vehicle, preferably the trunk. Store food carefully as bears can break into vehicles.
4. If a bear approaches, stand up, wave your arms, and shout or make loud noises.
5. Be bold but use good judgment. If you feel threatened, walk away, don’t run.

Report all bear sightings to a park ranger or headquarters at (530) 242-3400.