Female bears are caring for their cubs, adult male bears are seeking out female bears, yearling bears are dispersing from their mother's home range and all bears are looking for new sources of food. These activities create a sharp increase in bear movement across much of upstate New York. This is the time of year when conflicts between people and bears are most likely to occur.
Black bears are the only bear species that can be found in the wild in New York State.
Although their range in New York is slowly expanding, black bears are primarily found in the Adirondacks, Catskills and along the southern tier. Black bears eat mostly plant material, insects, nuts and berries, but they are opportunists and will take advantage of any alternative food source that is easily accessible, such as pet food or garbage left outside. Recently, there have been several incidents of a bear wandering into a residential or urban area. Often the bear becomes frightened by dogs or people and instinctively climbs a tree. If the bear senses danger, it will not come down from the tree.