Bears are opportunists, relying on their intelligence and their senses to find food. They use differing habitats throughout the year, depending on the availability of food and other necessities of life. The amount of area a bear covers in a given year is partially dependent on how far it has to go to satisfy these basic needs. In some areas, individuals bears may have a home range of less than a square mile. In other areas, home range can encompass hundreds of square miles.
Males usually range over larger areas than do females.
In the spring, black and brown bears come out of their dens. Males are usually the first bears to emerge, and females with new cubs the last. When bears emerge from their dens, they are lethargic for the first few days, frequently sleeping near their dens and not eating. In the early summer, bears continue to eat new grass and ferns as they develop. Moose calves, deer fawns and the like are also important foods where they are available, as well as smaller critters such as ground squirrels.