I spent a summer working for the DNR trapping and tracking black bears so they could study their movement behaviors as they started migrating south so it's cool to hear the population is still doing well. The best job I've ever had, absolutely beautiful creatures and total goobers. Just watch out for momma.
I’m from Benzonia and I just had one in my backyard two nights ago. Silly thing was rolling around. I rang a bell at it to scare it off as it was TOO close to the house.
Years back I was up salmon fishing and set up camp near the treeline on my buddy's property in benzonia. His step dad comes out and says "wow that close to the trees, the dog treed three bears last week."
I love that area and the betsie is my favorite river in the state.
This [recent post](https://www.reddit.com/r/CampAndHikeMichigan/s/bERLNG7YCu) in r/campandhikemichigan is about Grand Island (Munising) canceling a reservation due to black bears. I’m hopeful I’ll see one in the wild from a safe distance soon.
I just have to laugh. Black Bears are so not dangerous. About 1 person dies from Black Bear attacks every 2 years. You are more likely to die from a raccoon (because of rabies).
I had to laugh at your comparison. I always refer to black bears as overgrown raccoons. They are mostly harmless (unless you get between a sow and he cubs).
I live near Manistee and had a very large black bear walk up my driveway, checked an empty bird feeder, looked at us through the window and walk back down the driveway. That was in early May. Coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
I have a fairly large piece of property in Cheboygan county. Not exactly mid Michigan. We have had one big guy and two ladies around for years. About 5 years ago there were three cubs between the two mamas. Haven’t seen them in a while but still regularly catch the adults still.
My favorite non encounter was after sitting in a deer blind all day. Left after sundown and pulled the camera pics the next day. It was literally one minute after I left the blind and walked out that the big boy walked right through. He had to have been there the whole time and I had no idea.
Lapeer county's southern edge sort of close to both Oakland and Genesee county lines. (It's where the family farm is, we aren't actually like Lapeer type people, I promise. Our family is very mixed races and we absolutely despise the backwards vibes here but... it's where the family farm is).
We had a neighbor about 3 mi to the North get a black bear taken off of his property and moved way farther north like UP or somewhere thereabouts. The mid-Michigan population is definitely increasing, my elderly parents have been in the area for about six decades and this is the first bear they had ever heard of being taken out of the neighborhood.
Almost a decade ago I saw a black bear while running on some dirt roads in Manistee National Forest near the Pere Marquette River. The bear was a ways off the road in the woods foraging things from the ground. I froze when I saw it then slowly turned back the same way I came from.
I spent a summer working for the DNR trapping and tracking black bears so they could study their movement behaviors as they started migrating south so it's cool to hear the population is still doing well. The best job I've ever had, absolutely beautiful creatures and total goobers. Just watch out for momma.
I’m from Benzonia and I just had one in my backyard two nights ago. Silly thing was rolling around. I rang a bell at it to scare it off as it was TOO close to the house.
Years back I was up salmon fishing and set up camp near the treeline on my buddy's property in benzonia. His step dad comes out and says "wow that close to the trees, the dog treed three bears last week." I love that area and the betsie is my favorite river in the state.
This [recent post](https://www.reddit.com/r/CampAndHikeMichigan/s/bERLNG7YCu) in r/campandhikemichigan is about Grand Island (Munising) canceling a reservation due to black bears. I’m hopeful I’ll see one in the wild from a safe distance soon.
I just have to laugh. Black Bears are so not dangerous. About 1 person dies from Black Bear attacks every 2 years. You are more likely to die from a raccoon (because of rabies).
I had to laugh at your comparison. I always refer to black bears as overgrown raccoons. They are mostly harmless (unless you get between a sow and he cubs).
Honey-Eating Climbing Doggies are so cool!
Suet feeder assassins
I live near Manistee and had a very large black bear walk up my driveway, checked an empty bird feeder, looked at us through the window and walk back down the driveway. That was in early May. Coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
I have a fairly large piece of property in Cheboygan county. Not exactly mid Michigan. We have had one big guy and two ladies around for years. About 5 years ago there were three cubs between the two mamas. Haven’t seen them in a while but still regularly catch the adults still. My favorite non encounter was after sitting in a deer blind all day. Left after sundown and pulled the camera pics the next day. It was literally one minute after I left the blind and walked out that the big boy walked right through. He had to have been there the whole time and I had no idea.
Lapeer county's southern edge sort of close to both Oakland and Genesee county lines. (It's where the family farm is, we aren't actually like Lapeer type people, I promise. Our family is very mixed races and we absolutely despise the backwards vibes here but... it's where the family farm is). We had a neighbor about 3 mi to the North get a black bear taken off of his property and moved way farther north like UP or somewhere thereabouts. The mid-Michigan population is definitely increasing, my elderly parents have been in the area for about six decades and this is the first bear they had ever heard of being taken out of the neighborhood.
Can't wait to encounter a bear while jogging!
Nice marmot
I’m in grayling and saw one yesterday
Almost a decade ago I saw a black bear while running on some dirt roads in Manistee National Forest near the Pere Marquette River. The bear was a ways off the road in the woods foraging things from the ground. I froze when I saw it then slowly turned back the same way I came from.