Hi, my daughter and I have been visiting my parents house in S.E Arizona where they have some property in Cochise county. We were hiking on the property and found some rather large scat. We looked it up in my mothers field guide and because of it's size and consistancy we were led to believe it was that of a black bear. The unusual part of it was that there was a large amount from probably several months in a very small area and very close to what looked to be a dug out area, possibly a day den or bed. My question is, is this a typical bear behavior or are we wrong in the assumption that it is in fact evidence of a black bear?

Black bears are known to deposit quantities of scat near bedding down areas. They usually only use theses areas for a few days. Looking for fur, scrapes, or tracks can help confirm the presence of bears. The Arizona Game and Fish Department has a website that provides more information about black bears. It can be accessed at:

http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_bear.shtml