The high, slender branches of the beech tree bend far less than you would expect under the weight of the surprisingly agile 250-pound male black bear. Despite a light but steady wind, the bear balances on feet set in the crotches of two separate branches and casually eats his share of ripe-to-perfection beechnuts as if he was on firm ground instead of 16 metres in the air.

The video tape of this boy bear’s mealtime was perhaps the most arresting image presented to the Huntsville Nature Club at their meeting last month at Huntsville’s Town Hall by chief Algonquin Park naturalist and club member Rick Stronks. An experienced outdoorsman and enthusiastic bear fan, Stronks offered advice for those living amid the province’s largest population of black bears, namely inhabitants of Muskoka and Algonquin Park, on how to co-exist peacefully, even happily.

The good news is a black bear’s first dining choice is not meat. Males, females and cubs would rather nosh on berries, nuts and grubs, with the occasional fish for variety, than humans or animals. But, bears become so-called nuisance bears when they become habituated to humans and are not afraid to stroll into a cottage or campsite, or hunker down at your picnic table to pick up a meal.

The best rule to learn according to Stronks is don’t feed the bears intentionally or unintentionally whether in the wilderness or in town. If you are backcountry camping, store your food supply three metres off the ground and two metres from any tree by bagging it and tying it to a long branch. Bears are expert tree-climbers, especially when food is the goal.

“There was one campsite north of Lake Opeongo where bears were slicing the ropes suspending the campers’ food, so food was literally falling from the heavens,’ said Stronks. “You can also store food in the trunk of your car, unless you are camping in western Canada. I hear western black bears learned to punch out a car’s back windows and get into the trunk through the back seat.”

To keep bears out of your yard, thoroughly clean your barbecue grill and make sure any recycled items that may smell of food are stored indoors. Keeping things clean at home and at the campsite is a good rule, but habituated bears may wander in looking for a meal anyhow.

“If you are having problems with a habituated bear, you can discourage them through negative conditioning,” he explained. “You want them to associate humans with pain so that they want to leave when they see you. Pepper spray in the bear’s eyes, rubber bullets or bean bags shot at the bear and just plain yelling can make the bear decide it’s better to leave. All these methods have mixed results, but generally work.”

Stronks also advised against feeding birds in the spring and summer. Bears eat niger seed like it’s popcorn, and other seed as well. Feed your feathered friends in the fall and winter when food is scarce, especially if you already have bears in your area. If bears are helping themselves to your composting unit, stop composting until the bears go away, and never put meat scraps into the compost.

Referring to bears as one of the most interesting animals in the park, Stronks, who has worked 10 years at Algonquin and taken part in many research projects into what happens when humans interact with bears, noted there are only black bears in Muskoka — no grizzlies. Females weigh between 100 and 150 lbs., while males usually weigh in at 250 to 300 lbs. but can be up to 400 lbs. Black bears can also be blond or auburn, but they all have good hearing, poor distance eyesight and an extraordinary sense of smell.

“A bear can smell a carcass and other food up to a mile away,” said Stronks. “They stand up to get a better scent, not a better view.”

If you want to see a bear, you’re likely too late for this year at least. Black bears hibernate from November until late March or early April after building up as much body fat as possible for the winter fast. Eating berries and high-fat beechnuts, a bear can gain two pounds daily.

The bumper crop of beechnuts in 2006 resulted in one mother bear having an unheard of four cubs, said Stronks. Usually one or two cubs weighing a pound each are born before the mother bear emerges from her den. She wakes up, gives birth and goes back into hibernation. She can nurse the cubs for weeks while asleep. Stronks noted the female bear is the only one who can truly be “a little bit pregnant.”

“Bears mate in early June, and that’s the only time the males want other bears around them,” he explained. “There is a delayed implantation of the female’s egg. It doesn’t implant until the fall, and that’s when she truly becomes pregnant. But, she will only become pregnant if she is healthy. Otherwise, the egg wastes away.”

Come spring, the father bear wanders off, and the cubs stay with their mom for a year. Currently, there are about 2,000 black bears resident in Algonquin Park.

Bears that lose their fear of humans and become nuisances at campgrounds or park buildings are trapped, tranquilized and transported out of the area. If the bear returns, it is shot. But the good news is improved recycling practices and systems in the park have reduced the number of bears killed annually from 20 to 30 to one or two.

So, what do you do when you unexpectedly get up close and personal with a black bear? First, stay calm and assess the situation. If you are picking blueberries, and the bear is a distance away eating blueberries, he likely isn’t thinking about eating you. When surprised, black bears react defensively, but may seem to be acting offensively.

“Black bears will bluff charge, pop their jaws and run and stop to defend themselves,” said Stronks. “Face the bear and back away, giving it an escape route. Talking to the bear may make it uncomfortable and decide to leave. Offensive behaviour happens when the bear looks at you as a food source, which is very, very rare with black bears. In that case, you must be very aggressive. Yell, and throw sticks. Fight back with all you have. Any predator will assess the situation and decide this isn’t worth it. I don’t recommend playing dead.”

Understanding bear behaviour is, ultimately, pretty easy.

“A big part of understanding bears is knowing they are on a constant search for food, so we have a responsibility to store our food and clean the grills because bears are not doing anything wrong when they come around looking for food,” said Stronks. “They are just doing what comes naturally. I think bears are remarkable animals.”