Iowa DNR releases info on black bear sightings

School will soon be out and families are planning summer fun. Plans range from weeklong camping to weekends out of doors enjoying Iowa’s great state and local parks. The DNR issued a press release on April 29 warning of the increased sightings of black bears.

Black bears were once found across the entire state of Iowa. As the Europeans moved westward, the bears were hunted to extinction. Many species in Iowa suffered the same fate. Bear, deer, elk and moose were among those extinct by the late 1800s.

The Whitetail and the coyote have demonstrated the ability to live well with humans. The whitetail reproduces quickly and by 1953 deer hunting became legal again. Also there were many efforts made to reintroduce the deer to Iowa for sport hunting. Bears, elk and moose are known to wander into Iowa. So far they have not reestablished there population. Their rate of reproduction is much slower and habitat requirements less available. There have been no efforts to increase their presence in the state.

Iowa’s neighbors, Minnesota and Wisconsin, are known to have increasing black bear populations. Consequently, more sightings are occurring especially in northeast Iowa. Dubuque believes it has a resident bear. They believe it to be a male and he has been spotted consistently every spring for a few years.

While small, black bears can still be dangerous. When the bears come out of hibernation, their major concern is food. It is important that Iowans learn how to deal with this population. As stated in Alaska by its rangers and conservation people, “We don’t want any Yellowstone bears here!” The best way to prevent this is to deny food, garbage and trash to the wanderers.

DNR April 29 release below:

Black bears in Iowa?

Yep, it’s a thing, and seeing one is likely to become more common.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been meeting with officials from local conservation boards, police departments, sheriff’s offices and dispatchers from counties in northeast Iowa to discuss how to respond when black bears come strolling through later this spring.

“Bears emerge in the spring looking for food, generally feeding on the early greens and don’t really care about humans, they’re just being a bear,” said Vince Evelsizer, state furbearer and wetlands biologist with the Iowa DNR.

In Iowa, the spike in bear activity occurs in late May and June, which is the breeding season when a few black bears are more likely to disburse from Minnesota and Wisconsin, where populations are much larger and growing. Minnesota has an estimated 16,000 black bears, while Wisconsin’s population is around 24,000.

“Black bears are not that far from Iowa’s border,” Evelsizer said. “We typically have two to five bear sightings each year, which we believe are usually younger males. They are relatively timid, and just looking for food and/or females. It’s new and exciting but can lead to human-bear conflicts.”

Bears have been responsible for destroying bee hives and have been found on back decks and in backyards emptying bird feeders. If a bear does show up around the house, he said try to scare it from a safe distance because bears don’t like loud noises.

“Use loud noises, like yelling at it, clapping two pieces of two- by- fours loudly, or banging pots and pans,” he said.

“Give bears plenty of space to move on and also, take away food attractants,” he said. “Do not feed bears as that rewards the bear for coming into town and associate’s humans with food. Removing any outdoor pet food dishes, bird feeders, trash cans and grills into secure locations will help to avoid conflicts and encourages the bear to move on.”

Meetings were held in Dubuque and Fayette with city and county officials from Winneshiek, Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette and Dubuque counties, connecting officials who will likely be involved in one way or another when a bear appears this spring.

“We don’t want to block the bear’s travel, or back it into a corner. If a bear climbs a tree to escape onlookers, it can jeopardize the safety of the bear itself — you need to give it plenty of space. Folks can enjoy seeing a bear, but from a safe distance. It’s a neat thing but give it space — as in 100 yards or more,” he said.

“It would be nice, in an ideal world, that we would know when a bear is coming through ahead of time, to notify citizens so they can remove any attractants,” he said. “Sometimes that happens, thanks to our citizens, area DNR staff and local partners, and that helps us track the bear’s location occasionally to keep tabs on its travel.”

Iowa has gone from having an occasional visiting bear, to more frequent visiting bears to now having two- to- four bears move in and overwinter. And could see more in the future.

“Sightings are still of individual bears. We haven’t documented cubs or a breeding population yet,” Evelsizer said.

Students from Drake University modeled habitat across Northeast Iowa favorable to black bears, as part of a capstone project, and determined that with its larger sections of timber, Northeast Iowa could support up to 1,100 black bears.

Black bears are native to Iowa, but had been eliminated by the late 1800s as the state was settled. Since the species was gone, black bears were not listed as a furbearer species by the Iowa Legislature of the day, and currently have no protection in the state.

“The public is keenly interested in bears and we hope to be proactive with education and outreach as the bears move in to the state,” he said.

“It’s pretty exciting to think about that — there might be a bear in the woods,” Evelsizer said. “Some people love bears; some people are scared to death of bears and bear attacks, because of the amount of misinformation out there.”

The biggest takeaway, he said, is that between 1900 and 2009, there was only one black bear fatality in Minnesota, none in Wisconsin, and two in Michigan. Bear attacks are extremely rare, and most incidents involved unsecured food sources, he said.

“We encourage Iowans to give black bears space if they see one. It is a large, wild animal. Also, enjoy the sighting and continue to enjoy the outdoors. Residents in Minnesota and Wisconsin have learned to live with bears,” he said.

The Iowa DNR is a member of BearWise, a national organization that provides information on living responsibly with black bears around the home, when recreating in the outdoors, and more atwww.bearwise.org.

Media Contact: Vince Evelsizer, State Furbearer and Wetlands Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 641-231-1522.