The odor of bear feces is highly variable, serving as a direct indicator of its recent foraging activities. Unlike the relatively uniform waste of many other mammals, bear scat reflects the bear’s omnivorous diet and less efficient digestive tract. Consequently, the smell depends entirely on what the bear has consumed.
The Primary Determinant: Bear Diet and Odor Variation
The most common odor profile occurs during summer and fall when the diet is rich in vegetation, berries, and nuts. Scat from large amounts of fruit often carries a mild, almost sweet or fermented scent. This smell is frequently described as similar to strong compost or sour fruit, sometimes carrying the fragrance of specific berries.
This mild aroma occurs because the bear’s short digestive system does not fully break down the plant matter, leading to mild fermentation. Conversely, when the diet shifts to higher protein intake, such as meat, fish, or carrion in the spring, the smell changes dramatically. Scat from a carnivorous diet is highly fetid, pungent, and sulfurous, resembling the foul odor of other large carnivore feces.
A particularly offensive odor arises when a bear scavenges human food waste or garbage. This diet introduces a mix of processed foods, chemicals, and decaying matter, producing a uniquely unpleasant, chemical, or rotting smell. While foul, scat containing meat or garbage is typically distinguishable from the stronger, characteristic smell of waste produced by pure carnivores like cats or canids.
Physical Characteristics for Scat Identification
While smell results directly from diet, the physical appearance of the scat provides the most reliable identification. Bear scat is notably large, typically ranging from 5 to 12 inches long. It measures 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter for black bears and is often wider for grizzlies.
The shape varies significantly. When the bear eats fibrous material like grass or meat, it appears as a thick, cylindrical, and sometimes segmented tube with blunt ends. However, when the diet consists mainly of moist foods like berries, the scat becomes much looser, often resembling a large, amorphous mound.
The most definitive identification tool is examining the undigested contents within the pile. Bear scat is often described as “lumpy” and asymmetrical because it frequently contains visible remnants of the last meal. These remnants include berry skins, seeds, insect parts, hair, or small bone fragments. The presence of these unprocessed pieces is a signature feature, reflecting the bear’s short digestive tract.
Distinguishing Bear Scat from Other Wildlife
Distinguishing bear scat from that of other large animals is a practical necessity for anyone in bear country. Scat from ungulates, such as deer, elk, and moose, is usually distinctively pelletized, appearing as small, uniform, oval-shaped droppings. These pellets are highly processed due to the ungulates’ ruminant digestive system, resulting in a uniform consistency.
Canid scat, including that of coyotes and wolves, is generally smaller and consistently more twisted and tapered at the ends than bear scat. Canid feces almost always contain a high concentration of hair and bone fragments, and often have a rope-like appearance. While bear scat can contain hair, it is typically much blunter and larger, lacking the tapered ends characteristic of canids. The sheer volume and size of a bear’s deposit, combined with its highly variable contents, set it apart from the uniform droppings of other common wildlife.