THE BEAR FACTS|If you meet one

Weight ranges from 150 to 300 pounds. Average adult height is 2.5 to 3 feet at the shoulder.
They can live up to 20 years or more in the wild.
Highly mobile creatures whose habitats include mature forests, woodlands with dense understory, swamps, forested river corridors. Active in the early mornings and late evenings
Omnivorous (plant and meat eaters), with a diet that changes with seasonal availability to include nuts, berries, grasses, leaves, fish, carrion and insects.
Excellent senses of smell, good hearing and vision similar to humans.
Hibernate from early October and emerge mid-March through mid-April. Use caves, hollow stumps or logs and hollow trees as den sites.
Peak breeding occurs mid-June through mid-July. Females produce one to three cubs every other year, in winter dens.
BEAR ETIQUETTE
If you see a bear, leave it alone. As with any wild animal, give it room to roam. Once the bear becomes aware of your presence, it will likely move away.
Never feed a wild bear. When a bear associates people with food due to handouts, conflict will certainly occur. These conflicts usually cost the bear its life.
If a bear is reported in your area, put away trash cans and empty bird feeders. Most bears spotted in urban areas are merely passing through. However, they are opportunistic feeders and will help themselves to any available food source.
Report bear activity to the DOW. Call (800) WILDLIFE to report a bear sighting.
Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife