Bears will also excavate dens under tree stumps, below the root mass of a blown-over tree, and beneath brush piles. Sometimes they use rock dens, typically along the base of a ledge. Some bears simply create ground nests, usually in areas of dense softwood, where there is some shelter from falling snow.

Do black bears den in trees?

There are several different types of dens utilized by bears. Black bears tend to excavate dens, den under windfalls, in hollow trees or caves, and in previously occupied dens (Jonkel 1980). Grizzly bears tend to excavate dens at the base of large trees often on densely vegetated north-facing slopes.

Do bears build nests in trees?

Except for the Minnesota black bear that chose to spend the winter hibernating 70 feet up in a bald eagle nest, North American black bears don't hang out in tree nests. Rather, the “nests” you see in the crowns of trees are a byproduct of mast consumption.