A bear chaser is someone who is especially attracted to bears, gay or bisexual men, who are often larger, hairy, bearded, or masculine-presenting.
A bear chaser does not have to be smaller or less hairy. They may even identify as a bear themselves. The term describes who they are attracted to, not their own body type.
Unlike some other "chaser" terms, which can be seen as fetishizing, the words is comparatively neutral within bear culture. It has long functioned as a recognized community label alongside bear and admirer. The bear/chaser distinction helped people who were attracted to bears participate in bear spaces even if they did not identify as bears themselves.
