While the discovery of a bear under the deck of a family near the Cowichan River recently was a shock, it’s not necessarily unusual according to one researcher. If there are fish in the river, bears might not hunker down for the winter right away, but they will eventually, says Helen Davis, a biologist with Duncan-based Artemis Wildlife Consultants. The problem is, there are fewer and fewer natural places for them to hibernate due to logging practices and that’s why we’re seeing them snuggled into more peculiar places. …Bears prefer to make use of large hollow tree trunks and stumps as their dens, but will make use of other spaces as well, she said. …Davis has been working to get changes to the Wildlife Act made to ensure that forestry companies are legally responsible to protect a den when one is found.