The Iowa DNR is reminding those who live in areas where bears have turned up in the past to be ready for them to return.
State Furbearer Biologist Vince Evelsizer says we have some bears who overwinter here, but there aren’t any mating couples raising cubs in Iowa. “The bears we get are singles usually that are dispersing into Iowa or on the move for the breeding season. And so that means that the most activity that we’re seeing time wise of the year has been late May through June and early July. So most of the month of June, for the most part, is when we see the most bear activity in Iowa,” Evelsizer says.
He says bears are very food motivated in the spring, and are always looking for a meal. “So the best way for us to live with bears successfully and reduce nuisance issues is to simply put away food attractants if there’s a bear in the area. So that’d be things like pet foods and bird foods. bird feeders, that sort of thing,” he says.
There have been several bear sightings in northeast Iowa in the last several years. The DNR picked Pikes Peak near McGregor as the first state park to receive a few bear proof trash cans near the concession stand. They are designed to prevent bears from getting to food scraps and other things they smell.
Evelsizer says even though there’ve been bear sightings recently, they still create a lot of interest. “Typically if there’s a single bear in Iowa, it does, you know, usually get a lot of attention via social media and with media, regular media outlets and things like that,” Evelsizer says. “So it’s still a relatively new thing. It’s something that Iowans haven’t, you know, been used to or seen for over 100 years and so that’s why it creates a lot of excitement typically.”
Evelsizer believes bears will eventually settle down and raise cubs in Iowa. “We think there’s a good chance that bears may adapt to some regions of Iowa habitat wise, specifically in the northeast part of Iowa, the Driftless Region, would be one area that we’d guess could get bears down the road here. And then parts of southern Iowa where there’s adequate habitat too,” he says.
Evelsizer says there haven’t been any reports of bear sightings yet this spring, but he expects that to change in the coming weeks.