Insects such as ants and grasshoppers rate high, and black bears will overturn logs, old stumps, and stones while foraging. Fish, small mammals, and occasionally birds are also on the black bear's menu. In the spring some bears may prey upon newborn moose calves, deer fawns, caribou calves, or elk calves. Carrion of any sort is highly prized and its attractiveness to a bear increases with its degree of decomposition. Of course a tree containing honey is always a treat.
Bears drink frequently and are usually found in the vicinity of water.
Although some black bears may live for 20-25 years, few bears in the wild become that old. In areas where bears are hunted, legal hunting is one of the major mortality factors, especially for bears two years of age and older. Males are usually shot before females because they are less cautious and travel more widely. Females become more vulnerable with increased hunting pressure. Young bears in both hunted and unhunted populations die from starvation, accidents, and predation.