Brown bears are found in a variety of habitats, from dense forests, to subalpine meadows and arctic tundra. The brown bear is thought to have adapted to the life of a plains or steppe animal and was once common on the great plains of North America. Human encroachment has forced the remaining brown bear populations to select rugged mountains and remote forests that are undisturbed by humans. Brown bears are found in North America, eastern and western Europe, northern Asia and in Japan. In North America, brown bears are found in western Canada, Alaska, and in the states of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
Brown bears have the widest distribution of any bear species and occupy a wide range of habitats.
Historically, they were common on the central plains of North America and the coastal areas of California. In the lower 48 states there are 700 - 800 brown bears surviving. In Alaska, there are about 30,000. Females reach sexual maturity at 4 to 7 years old and breed from early May through mid-July. Cubs will remain with their mothers for at least 2 - 3 years, and females won t breed again while in the company of their young.