The state Department of Environmental Conservation is asking the public to be on the lookout for bear dens this winter.

“DEC urges anyone who finds a bear den to not approach or disturb the den, but simply to note the location and move away from the den site,” the DEC said in a press release. “DEC requests that anyone locating a bear den contact their local DEC Wildlife office with specifics about the den location, including GPS coordinates if possible.”

“Wildlife biologists periodically check on black bears during the winter den season,” the release continues. “The bears may be fitted with a radio collar to help biologists track the bears’ activities throughout the rest of the year and to relocate dens in subsequent years for monitoring cub production, condition, and survival.”

Bears will often den in rock crevasses, under dead trees or in tree hollows. Cubs are born in January or February, and crying cubs may be heard when near a den.

For more information on black bears, visit www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6960.html.