WHITE HALL, W.Va. (WBOY) — If you’ve ventured out in the last few days due to the warm weather, you’re not the only one. A White Hall man got a visit from what looks like a juvenile black bear.

Tim Zickafoose sent 12 News pictures of his furry visitor, who got right up to his storm door on Thursday morning.

A juvenile black bear in White Hall. Credit: Tim Zickafoose

The WVU Extension says that in West Virginia, black bears typically leave their dens for the season during mid-March, but, wildlife experts note that hibernation does not mean bears don’t leave the den. Black bear hibernations mean reduced activity during the winter, but they do periodically wake up to move around and feed.

With temperatures in the Clarksburg area hitting a record-breaking 77 degrees on Thursday, it’s not shocking that this bear picked that day to run some errands.

While it may not be officially spring yet, this makes for a good reminder to follow the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources’ tips for preventing nuisance bears around your property.

Those tips are:

  • Keep garbage secure in a garage or storage building and only place cans out for collection on the morning of pick-up, not the night before.
  • Seal food scraps that produce an odor in a plastic bag before placing them in the trash.
  • Don’t place food scraps in a compost pile during the summer.
  • Don’t let outside pet food stay out overnight.
  • Take down bird feeders and clean and store them until late fall.
  • Store livestock feed in bear-proof containers or inside a secure building.
  • Keep bears out of beehives and chicken houses by installing an electric fence.

For more information on black bears and how to prevent nuisance activity, visit bearwise.org.