farming

St Andrews Forest Farm A Bear Runs Through It

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A third year female black bear runs up to the clearing from North Trail on May 20, 2025.

We had seen bear scat multiple times all around the farm and last May it was confirmed when she ran in front of our farm cam.

We had just moved the camera to a new position and were able to capture a three year female black bear on video as she ran pretty fast through the main clearing up top.

We continue to see evidence of bear activity and we imagine it is she. This past month we began noticing old tree stumps destroyed and large pieces of quartz turned over. We immediately suspected our bear was looking for insects to eat. The first we noted was in the spring along the back line on Chanterelle Hill Trail. A huge ant hill was dug up and excavated. Then about a month and a half ago, we saw all along the north property line she had dug up old stumps. At one we saw yellow jackets looking disturbed.

Vespula maculifrons, Eastern yellow jackets. This creature is not to be messed with. I wonder if this was what our bear was running from through the top clearing.
A stump disturbed by a young bear looking for termites or ants to eat along Amanita Way.
Stump excavation along Northmost Trail. It was a hungry bear who worked hard to find everything she could to eat this summer in the forest.
Just last week we found these honey mushrooms along Armillaria Way. Either the bear, deer or one of our Eastern box turtles, Terrapene carolina carolina, came along and ate it before we got back to collect them.
Caught in the act! Our Eastern box turtle eating some mushrooms along the bottom creek on a stump that the bear had ransacked looking for bugs to eat.

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