The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is trying to prepare northeast Iowa residents for black bear sightings in the area.
DNR biologist Vince Evelsizer says there have already been a few early sightings. “We had a few bears over winter for the first time and they emerged. One of them was in late March and one or two others were here in mid-April,” he says. “We see the most bear activity beginning in late May and running through most of June, and that coincides with their breeding season.”
Evelsizer wants anyone who spots a bear to call the DNR. “If the bear, it’s just kind of doing its own thing and it’s not causing any problems, they can just notify our local DNR staff, like their law enforcement officer or wildlife biologist in that area and just let them know they saw the bear and you know, approximate location,” Evelsizer says, “that kind of thing really helps us with monitoring how many bears there are and where they’re at.”
He says if the bear is being a nuisance, the DNR can help out. “If there’s more issues where there’s a safety issue or property damage or that sort of thing, then a lot of times our wildlife depredation staff can assist with checking out the situation and seeing if there’s some remedies to work out,” he says. Evelsizer says bears don’t really care about humans, they are concerned about finding food. “Like to remind folks to remove those food attractants and that can be all sources of pet food, bird food and human foods, garbage, etcetera,” Evelsizer says. “Put them in safe areas where a bear can’t get into and that’ll remove the incentive for the bear to hang around there longer. We want the bears to be out in the woods where they belong.”
Evelsizer says it’s exciting for anyone to see a bear wandering around, and it’s okay to watch or get a picture. “Use common sense and don’t get too close to the bear, so we recommend folks stay a healthy distance, as in you know, somewhere around 100 yards or more and just, you know, get some photos or video with your phone, but don’t crowd that there because that’s unsafe for you and it’s unsafe for the bear and can create conflicts that way,” he says.
The DNR has been meeting with 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 areas. Evelsizer says it’s not surprising that bears are wandering into Iowa, as three surrounding states have seen their populations grow. He says Wisconsin’s estimated bear population is currently around 24,000. Minnesota’s estimated black bear population is around 15 or 16,000 and Missouri currently has an estimated population of 1,000 bears.
Evelsizer says there haven’t been any cases documented of mating black bears having cubs in Iowa.