Beware that black bears are not true hibernators. They can & will wake up
very quickly. Aside from the potential danger to you & your equipment is
the disturbance to the bear. Once disturbed & scared from the den, they
generally will not go back to the same site. Then they are left to wander
at a time of year they are not meant to be out. No good food (other than
human-sourced, which won't end well) and nowhere to go. I strongly advise
against rousting the bear from it's winter lair. Thus, no noisy or
intrusive behaviour. a mic placed quietly on a pole and left for quite some
time MAY be ok, but beware it could be destroyed. flash photography is not
a good option. Despite the temptation it's probably best to leave them be.
A sow with cubs may produce more interesting sounds and she would be less
likely to abandon the site - but more likely to eat your mic...
The bird nest thing is a possibility. The fewer visits to the nest the
better, and maybe wait til the chicks have hatched. Don't draw predator
attention to the nest and don't disturb the nest itself (setup should be
cryptic), but beware that activity like this probably does increase the
likelihood of nest depredation.
just my two cents. I am a wildlife biologist, but not a professional nature
recordist, so others undoubtedly have more direct experience in these
matters than I...
Mark Phinney
On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 1:47 PM, Eric Schmidt <> wrote:
> **
>
>
> Hello everyone.
>
> I've a quick question for the group.
>
> A friend told me that they've located a bear in hibernation on their
> family farm in Western PA and invited me for a visit (nothing unusual
> there). I live around Toledo, OH but there's plenty of time for a
> roadtrip.
>
> Anyhow it sounds ideal for a sound recording.
>
> Here is my plan. There's an entrance hole about 15" in diameter
> underneath a big downed tree - also know of a female holed up under a
> collapsed barn too. I thought I could poke a shotgun (Senn 815) into
> the hole to get close-up sound of the bear (a big male) and use a
> cheaper Short Senn shotgun (used as an on-camera mic) for exterior
> ambient sound. Not much choice of mics the rest are lavaliere type -
> Senn., Tram, Sony B-6. I think I could borrow an omni from someone if
> it would be worth the extra effort and truly needed - then I could also
> use the wider shotgun inside.
>
> Recorder is a Sony (D-7?) DAT.
>
> Does this sound feasible? Anything else I should think of. I don't
> think this will disturb his highness in sleepyland. Thoughts?
>
> I don't know if I should take photographs or video as it would either
> need a flash or supplementary light. Thoughts on this? It would be
> nice maybe, but if I don't I can live with it and not loose any sleep
> or have I shoulda's.
>
> I guess I'm not that experienced with bears - the only bears I've seen
> are the hind quarters as they are putting distance quickly between them
> and me.
>
> While I'm thinking of it, too. I've got the B-6s this summer and
> thought they would be really nice to use at a bird's nest (or other
> critter magnet) for recording. Could affix it to a tree limb close to
> the nest or even weave it into the nest. And let it stay there all
> season. A good idea to try? Feasible or try something different? How
> about the affect on the birds - figuring in-and out in under 5 min. Or
> possible problems? Any other outdoor uses for it or lavs in general?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Eric
>
>
>
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