This work is supported by the generous backers who adore my cat stories at Patreon.com/amberunmasked and they also get first access to what’s happening with my books and projects.
Where We Left Off:
Oliver and Gus had their paws full with three different investigations into the mice inside the house.
Bear Necessities:
From April 23, 2026 to June 9, 2026, the Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency has gathered photographs and video evidence of the local black bear and volkolak population. We studied these images and think we have some connections to the known bears in our files. Plus, we have exciting first images of three new baby cubs!
Val (short for Valkyrie) was born 2020 or 2021. From what we can tell, she never had her ears tagged which is a process that is mostly safe, but does cause their ears to fold over from broken cartilage. In 2024, Val had two cubs named Blake and Keely. This is the branch of the family tree that we believe has survived the bear hunts.
Because the first images of any bear creature were captured by a trail camera, we knew by the next morning. One of my jobs is to routinely check the trailcams and security cameras in the morning. April 23rd, an adult black bear with tan snout passed by a couple of the cameras. The one who came through two days later looked quite a bit thicker, more zaftig. I showed Ollie and Gus what I found and then distributed copies of the images to the rest of the human staff.
“We can try to compare photos to last year,” Gus said.
“Just remember that Spring bears don’t have all their weight yet,” Ollie said.
That was true. Not only would the bears grow from aging, but they change rather drastically from Spring to Winter.
There were three more sightings in May. One of the trailcams caught an exciting moment worth celebrating! There was a momma bear and three tiny baby cubs crossing the yard. Their direction indicated they had crossed this terribly busy road and were headed up the hill into the woods or to the neighbors’ small farm where there might be delicious food.
“We need names!” I proclaimed ecstatically.
Ollie paused as he was about to get settled under his chair in the office. “We need to keep them alive.” He laid down behind a curtain of blankets hanging over the sides.
“You know that’s my priority, Oliver,” I said.
I started to worry about what I didn’t see on the cameras: signs of Ridley or Silly. Silly had a broken ear presumably from being tagged. Ridley had both ears tagged when Gus and I met him. Even if the tags have been torn out, his ears would certainly show evidence that they were once there unless he got lucky.
Gus spoke up in my defense. “We should name them for the sake of our files, Ollie. Can you believe she hasn’t named the three fawns yet? I’m starting to think she’s losing her flare.”
The three cubs were named after favorite fictional detectives/investigators: Doyle, Cordelia, and Edwin. For now, we’re thinking that Val is the mother, but we only have that one clip of footage. It could be Briar (a half-sister to Val). Blake and Keely probably aren’t old enough since they were born in 2024 to Val. Briar had a single cub—that we know of and hope it survived—in 2024 also.
What could we do to protect them?
“Although black bears are not currently state or federally listed in the U.S., they experienced large reductions in numbers and contractions in range prior to the development of better wildlife management practices.” Defenders of Wildlife
We can’t put up Bear Cub Crossing signs. Technically, there’s nothing stopping us from purchasing a sign (around $200), but there’s nowhere to put it. The road belongs to the county. I’ve also been partial to the idea of having road spikes installed to not only slow down traffic, but discourage people from through here all together. Unfortunately, you have to be able to control vehicular speeds to 5 miles per hour and they aren’t to be used in roads that get snow or ice. They’re also expensive.
At a federal and state level, there are projects to create wildlife crossings that go over or under busy roads, usually massive interstates.
Never handle a bear cub unless that is your job.
Don’t hunt them. That’s common sense for saving a specific population.
Drive slowly in areas known for bears.
Try not to attract them to your land unless you have space for them to be safe. Ex: keep your garbage bins secured and don’t try to feed them.
Why Worry About Them?
“Black bears are slow reproducers. They typically do not have cubs until age 3 to 5 years and litter sizes are small, at around two cubs on average. Cubs remain with their mother for a year and a half or more, even though they are weaned at 6 to 8 months old. Females only reproduce every second year or less frequently, unless her young die for some reason, then she may reproduce again after only one year.” Defenders of Wildlife
Are the New Cub Shapeshifters?
Since Gus and Ollie have not gotten the opportunity (and they probably shouldn’t) to get up close for examining Doyle, Cordelia, and Edwin, we have no idea if these little guys have inherited any maging traits of the volkolaks or cryptids.
May 25, 2026 Visitor
It was pure luck that I saw a young black bear cross into our property at a time when I could grab my camera and run out to an observation platform. This visitor was likely Blake or Keely given that it still looks small but is not a baby cub. It’s mature enough to be independent, yet unlikely to be having its own family this year.
Case Findings:
The Winchester-Nabu Detective Agency is trying to remain hopeful that Ridley and Silly have survived the bear hunts. Meanwhile, we’re thrilled to see that we have had a couple of visitors this Spring, and there are three new cubs! The cubs have been named for some favorite TV detectives: Doyle, Cordelia, and Edwin. Do you know which shows those are?
Case Status: Open