In Alutaguse bear tracks

 
Text and photos Bert Rähni, www.360.ee
Translation: Liis
 
We spent the weekend in the Alutaguse forests intent on looking for tracks from bears waking from their winter sleep. We found the tracks of one male bear.
 
In spring, after the first bears have woken up but before the snow disappears in the forest there is for a short time a great opportunity to move along the tracks, explore the behaviour of bears and their doings.
 
Wolf and lynx tracks can be followed all winter, but in the bear tracking period each day is important. The possibility only arises with adult male bears unfortunately, because they will rise first. To the wake-up time of the females the snow usually has melted so much that a longer hike in bear tracks is next to impossible.
 
We drove, drove and drove along endless forest roads and clearings to find the print track of the bears. Constant stops  at old elk prints that had grown so large with thaw that from a distance they seemed to belong to bears. But nothing, we were beginning to feel fed-up and hope was fading. The bears were not awake yet. Finally we decided that as we were in the forest then we might at least make some kind of hike. We put our skis on to check unploughed roads too. Actually several important forest roads were impassable for cars. So we headed towards Sirtsi bog on Sunday afternoon.
 
Conditions were ideal, the skis carried and glided well. Raccoon dogs, martens, ferrets, fox, mountain hares, elks and wild boars – lots of tracks. After going  some kilometres I slipped across large tracks, quickly, brakes on, damn, a bear! Large prints, powerful claws, totally fresh tracks!
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%202.jpghttp://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%203.jpg
 
At a loss  – what to do? We hadn’t brought snowshoes, and skiing  along bear tracks seemed cumbersome. Curiosity got the better of hesitation, we turned our ski points towards where the bear had come from, because the hope to find a winter nest loomed at the back of our minds.
 
Coppice, ditches, ski tips stuck in snow. At the next windfall I decided to carry my skis. For hiking along animal tracks snow shoes are unsurpassed. The bear had moved as always, often along the ice on ditches, had turned into a stand of dense spruces and windfalls.
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%205.jpg
 
 
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%2011.jpg
 
At times I felt that now … now, soon, the winter nest is there because the terrain was so very suitable. We found the place where the bear had arranged some branches to lie on and evidently had slept there too but not the winter sleepa.
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%207.jpghttp://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%209.jpghttp://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%2010.jpghttp://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%208.jpg
 
In one place the bear had been vigorously clawing at a pine. Claw marks were around the whole tree, high and low; on the snow around the tree were fresh pieces of bark. This is said to be how male bears mark their territory.
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%2012.jpghttp://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%2013.jpg
 
It had demolished a decayed tree, evidently looking for insects.
 
http://www.360.ee/cache/multithumb_thumbs/c.250.160.16777215.0...images.stories.blogi-pildid.karumatk%2014.jpg
 
Very exciting, but it was turning dark. Pants were wet from trampling in wet snow without snow shoes, not to speak of the boots. The track path saved on GPS showed that we had made an S-shape tour of some kilometres. We had to admit defeat on finding the winter nest, returned to the road and went on skis to the car.
 
Giving up without having achieved the goal irked. I called, and combining our observations with information from local people, came to the conclusion that evidently we had to do with the same animal that was roused by forest workers towards the end of winter. It had slumbered in a forest stand for about a month and now was up before the others. This  bear had wintered near Virunurme bog, walked by at our bear watching hut and now had arrived at Sirtsu bog. I have already written about him in the 360 blog and put up photos of the tracks on our  Facebook fan page. This info brought some consolation. But we won’t give up yet: at  the end of the week warmer weather is promised and we will go to the Alutaguse forests together with the ETV “Osoon“ camera team. We will see what happens, follow us in our blog and Facebook.
 
On the Alutaguse bear safaris in May and June we will explore bears and their habitats.


 

EST EN DE ES RU  FORUM

       

My Nature Calendar

Help to do Looduskalender.ee better - send Your observations about nature.

History