bears in michigan lower peninsula

If you draw a line across the state under Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Gladwin and Arenac/Bay counties, north of that line is where bears regularly occur. McKinley BK, Belant JL, Etter DR (2014) American black bear-apiary conflicts in Michigan. All rights reserved (About Us). You can read more by following the link about bear in Michigan on Michigan's Department of Natural Resources website below. A black bear was spotted in Pentwater, which is located in west Michigan, in early June. Females typically weigh from 100 to 250 pounds, and males vary in weight from 150 to 400 pounds. And the problem's getting worse, said Hilbert, the owner of Hilbert's Honey Bees. Usually we do that quite cautiously but in this matter we'd like to increase the harvest quite significantly in Baldwin.". In Michigan black bears, gray wolves and cougars should be indicators of the healthy state of the ecosystem. Population surveys for the species indicate a growing population, he said.-Traverse City Record-Eagle Swanson is proposing a quota increase from 5,806 in 2016 to 5,925 for the 2017-18 season. • If you see a black bear, never feed it or approach it. Swanson is proposing an increase to 155 bears for the 2017-18 season. Since 1990, increases in American black bear (Ursus americanus) population and distribution in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, USA, have led to positive trends in black bear harvests, sightings, and nuisance reports. View Article Google Scholar 16. The black bear is protected by law and managed by the DNR. According to the DNR’s Statistical Catch-At-Age analysis – which uses bear sex and age data collected since 1992 – bear abundance in Michigan was most recently estimated at a total of 11,811 sub-adult and adult bears. 0:59 . Of the 31 dens (16 of males, 15 of females) actually Table 1. ... Bear cub visits Michigan family - Duration: 0:59. “These young bears are generally nothing to worry about, but it is important to remember not to provide easy food sources for them — put garbage out in bear-safe containers, or put it out the morning of trash pickup, don’t leave pet food outdoors, bring in bird feeders when bears are near,” she said. TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — It's a dreaded sight for Traverse City beekeeper Larry Hilbert: Wood boxes containing beehives broken and scattered, the honeycomb stripped away, the bees dead or gone. habitat types for Lower Peninsula bears were swamp conifers, upland hardwoods, and lowland shrubs and hardwoods. As conflicts begin to grow with Lower Peninsula bears, the license quota in all three northern Lower Peninsular bear management units has been increased by 19 percent, totaling 155 additional licenses. (Courtesy of David Kenyon, Michigan DNR). and the northern lower peninsula, but in recent years, bears have been on the move. The northern Lower Peninsula has seen an almost 50 percent increase in the black bear population since 2000, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Swanson said there have been complaints about nuisance bears causing conflicts and resulting in bluff charges, where a bear charges a human or animal but stops short of attacking. Home-ranges of female bears generally overlap, but overlap of mature male home-ranges is less common. “Often it is young male bears, about 2 years old, that are looking for hunting and breeding territories of their own. Here’s some basic information and the real scoop on large predators in Michigan. Gray RM, Vaughan MR, McMullin SL (2004) Feeding wild American black bears in Virginia: a survey of Virginia bear hunters, 1998–1999. Black bears have been doing well in northern Michigan for a while. Jump to navigation Jump to search Bear Lake, Michigan. The DNR is also against the use of barrels on public land due to trash concerns as well as territorial issues with wolf and deer. Some people are already getting a little closer to bears than they’d like to. Oswald’s Bear Ranch – Newberry. If they don’t find any food, they will move on. 17. Currently, Michigan hunters can bait 31 days prior to the start of the season. The culprit, as cliché as it may be, are honey-loving black bears. We had another perfect season for the 5th year in a row and could not be happier for all of those that chose us to be their guides. Gray RM, Vaughan MR, McMullin SL (2004) Feeding wild American black bears in Virginia: a survey of Virginia bear hunters, 1998–1999. Swanson said many groups have asked for an earlier pre-season baiting period, but the DNR is not in favor of that because it can create habitual activity in bears, which could make the them more susceptible to harvest. Amasa Bear Management Unit Hunting Guides Back to top: Wild Spirit Guide Service P.O. “When bears get used to easy food sources, they often become nuisances.”. An estimated 15,000 to 19,000 bear currently inhabit the large northern tracts of forest land in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Black bears are omnivorous and opportunistic … Policy makers and wildlife managers can prepare for the difficult task of managing future bear–human interactions by using resource selection models to assess bear … • Store grills inside or keep them clean. As earlier reports indicated, southern Michigan’s bear population is booming, as the DNR estimates the bear population is up as much as 50 percent since 2000. Black bear sightings now common in Lower Peninsula, Most often seen getting into garbage cans and bird feeders, Tri-County Times | Fenton, MI Approximately 15,000 to 19,000 black bears, including cubs, roam northern Michigan. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Mostly cloudy. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It's even higher if you look back to 2000. There are over 2,000 black bears in the upper Lower Peninsula of Michigan and over 10,000 in the Upper Peninsula. However, it is becoming increasingly common to see bear in the southern half of the Lower … The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Ursus 5: 20–33. The region is subject to heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan. These youngsters usually are just wandering through and then they generally make their way back up to Northern Michigan,” Vaughn said. Michigan’s bear population is in good shape, especially in the Upper Peninsula. At the time, native people lived in the Bear Lake area, evidence remaining in various burial mounds of the region, including one at Pierport. This sanctuary is for Upper Peninsula black bears, with the … regarding bears and suitable bear habitat in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Michigan's Upper Peninsula Bear Hunting. The large predatory cats were originally native to Michigan … Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20). Currently, 90 percent live in the Upper Peninsula and the other 10 percent live in the Lower Peninsula, although the population in the Lower Peninsula is increasing. Click on the bear management unit of your choice on map below to find bear guides in that area. This analysis was conducted within two bear-density regions identified by researchers at Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (Zone B and Zone C) where bear populations and human development have recently been expanding. Black Bear … There have been at least 55 cougar sightings in the state since 2008, with only one being reported in the Lower Peninsula back in 2017. "I'm a fourth-generation beekeeper; my … Ursus 5: 20–33. If you’re planning to travel to the northern area of the Lower Peninsula, you could see a black bear. Wisconsin and Minnesota, our neighbors, you're allowed to use chocolate in those states but there's a national push to get it banned (due to the) unintentional consequences to non-target species.". Manville AM II (1983) Human impacts on the black bear in Michigan’s lower peninsula. High around 35F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. MLive 1,522 views. Ursus 15: 188–196. About 90 percent of the bear live in the Upper Peninsula, while the remaining ten percent are mainly found in the northern Lower Peninsula. The next year, in 1837, Michigan … You have permission to edit this article. Human-Wildlife … Yes, there are Black Bear in Michigan's lower peninsula. An estimated 15,000 to 19,000 bear currently inhabit the large northern tracts of forest land in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Cloudy. PROFESSIONALLY GUIDED BLACK BEAR HUNTS IN MICHIGAN’S UPPER PENINSULA We had an amazing 2020 hunting season here at S&B Outfitters. "This is a pretty pronounced trend upward in the northern Lower Peninsula population, we're hoping to increase the harvest point significantly beginning next year for the 2017-18 seasons.". Briar Hill, at 1,706 ft, is the highest point in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.It is entirely within the Manistee National Forest.The area was carved out during the last ice age, and retreating glaciers left large deposits of sand, which created Briar Hill and the nearby Caberfae Hills.. LANSING -- The bear population in the state of Michigan is very healthy, the DNR says, but some changes are needed to keep it that way. Bears constantly roam for food, and will revisit a place if they find food there. 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