The brown bear is one species of bear that has several subspecies. The subspecies in America are coastal brown bear, kodiak, and grizzly.

The biggest distinguishing factor is their geographic location, which dictates their popular food sources. For the most part, however, all of the subspecies are considered to be omnivorous opportunistic scavengers. This means that they eat a combination of plants and animals that are available. The seasons dictate what they can eat during that specific time.

They mainly feed in the morning and evening to evade the heat of the day, but are known to travel long distances for food sources.

The Spring

After a long winter of hibernation you’ll find bears on the sunny south-facing slopes, grazing on the new grass like cattle. They will be scavenging for any early vegetation growth and/or winter-killed game animals. Brown bears will even hunt for small rodents as sources for protein.

The Summer 

As summer hits they begin eating grubs, roots, greenery. They continue eating an omnivore diet, but they start to snack on the more seasonal things such as berries, honey and nuts and fish.

The Fall

When fall sets in, bears begin to prepare for the winter by stocking up as much as they can. Coastal bears will fish during the salmon run. They begin scavenging the remains of other animals.

The Winter

Depending on the climate, bears may hibernate for winter, in which case they do not eat or drink. However, in less harsh climates bears will be found scavenging winter kill, birdseed, grubs and/or garbage. Those bears near human civilization learn very quickly that garbage can be a good source of food.