Black bears den under a Pike County porch

If you’ve ever been curious about what bears do in their dens, now’s the perfect time to see for yourself.

Thanks to a Pennsylvania Game Commission, a newly launched 24-7 livestream – complete with audio and infrared illumination for night vision – allows viewers watch a mama black bear and its cub as they den under a residential deck in Pike County.

According to the PGA, black bear cubs are usually born in January. They leave the den to explore their surroundings with mom for the first time about three months later, but as the dens are rarely in spots where live-stream cameras can be set up, their time inside it is rarely witnessed.

Although the bears are living under someone’s deck, the PGA said they are not generally a threat to the people who live there and are not bothered by regular activity around the home.

The commission has three other livestream cameras operating including two different eagle’s nest views and one capturing goose migration. All four cameras will livestream into the spring.

“While all of our wildlife livestreams are popular with viewers, there’s nothing like watching and listening to bear cubs as they begin to explore their surroundings and, ultimately, emerge from the den with their mothers to see their new world in Penn’s Woods,” agency information and education director Steve Smith said.

The PGA’s the last black bear den livestream was in 2021.

“We’re glad to bring back this livestream for 2023 and offer it alongside our annual wintertime wildlife cams, all of which entertain and educate viewers, and give them a whole new appreciation for wildlife.”

Find the bear den livestream at https://hdontap.com/index.php/video/stream/pennsylvania-bear-den-live-cam.