Black bears have long been viewed as forest-dwelling animals. However, an unbroken expanse of forest doesn’t provide enough food for black bears. They need berry patches and stream bottoms to satisfy their appetite for plants and insects. You can find black bears in virtually all forested areas of New Mexico. Females usually maintain a home range of five to seven square miles. Males on an average occupy an area of 25 square miles, although they can extend their territories to as much as 50 square miles if habitat quality deteriorates.

Bears are omnivorous, which means they will eat just about anything around. Plants compose the overwhelming majority of their diet. Their diet varies according to seasonal availability of foods. In the spring, the diet consists mostly of young grasses and forbs, young succulent shoots, roots, insects and carrion and cambium, the nutrient-rich part of a tree just under the bark. In summer, young grasses, forbs, dandelions, sweet clovers, a variety of mushrooms, watercress, insects, chokecherry, wild raspberries, wild strawberries and wild plum and apples are primary sources of nourishment. 

The black bear is not a threatened or endangered species. However, it is vulnerable to extreme population fluctuations because of its mating habits and reproductive cycle. In New Mexico, breeding doesn’t begin until a sow is almost six years of age, and mating occurs only once every two years. Consequently, BearWatch is concerned that wildlife management policies must take care to protect the population of our black bears.

Black bear tracks are very distinctive--the hind footprint resembles that of a human. All bears have 5 toes, with the front foot short and about 4-5 inches wide. The hind foot is long and narrow, measuring about 7 inches. Claw marks may or may not be visible. The claws are non-retractile, meaning they can be seen at all times. The black bears’ tightly curved claws are ideal for tree climbing and digging for insects, tubers, and making dens. They are also strong swimmers. Like a human, a bear’s feet are made for a browsing lifestyle, rather than one of pursuit. However, while bears may appear awkward and clumsy, they are actually very agile. They can run twice as fast as man (up to 25 M.P.H.) and have been known to outrun a racehorse for a short distance.

Bears use trails just as people do, since it's easier to travel on a trail than through underbrush. Be aware of tracks, droppings and other bear signs. Claw marks on trees, rotten logs ripped apart and hair on tree bark from rubbing will allow you to determine better the presence of bears. It's easy to recognize a black bear’s sizable droppings of plant leaves, partly digested berries, apples, assorted seeds or animal hair.

Black bears select a surprisingly small den that has one or more openings. The most important aspect of a den to a black bear is that it is in a protected area. The den is small, so that the bear’s own body heat will warm the space. Den openings are often so narrow that an adult human would find it difficult to squeeze through them. In New Mexico, dens are frequently located under outcroppings of large rocks or under tree roots.

For black bears, hibernation is more an adaptation for escaping winter food scarcity than an adaptation for escaping winter cold. Black bears do not officially hibernate but enter a state of "torpor", which is a modified form of hibernation. Torpor in New Mexico normally occurs between mid October through the end of March and sometime later. Pregnant sows enter the dens first, with sow with cubs next, followed by younger bears and the last into the dens are adult males. Males usually appear first in the spring, followed by female’s without cubs and finally female’s with cubs. Bears may move from den to den in winter months so it is possible to see them when they are supposed to be in torpor.