Why You May See Brown Colored Bears in Minnesota

There has been numerous black bear sightings in Central Minnesota this spring.  I was joined by Assistant Director and Biologist Spencer Peter from the North American Bear Center and Northwoods Ecology Hall in Ely, Minnesota.  He says the DNR draws the line just north of the twin cities and around St. Cloud as the southern most spots in the state bears can be found.  The vast majority of the bears in Minnesota can be found in northern Minnesota with Orr, Minnesota as the location with the most.  Orr is located just south of International Falls in northeastern Minnesota.  Peter says there have been bear sighting recently in the Twin Cities area as well in the Ham Lake area.  Peter suggested that the reason why more bears have been spotted in Central Minnesota include growth in the population of bears in the state, food and habitat, and more cameras to catch bear sightings.

The Department of Natural Resources has upped their estimate of Minnesota's bear population from 12,000 to 15,000 5 years ago to 13,000 to 18,000 today.  Minnesota only has black bears in the state but Peter says there are brown colored black bears in the state.  He says roughly 90% of the black bears in Minnesota are black while 10% are brown.  Peter says west of Minnesota you'll find more brown colored black bears than we have here.

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Spring is the time of year bears are more likely to be seen.  Peter says bears in the spring are coming out of winter dormancy and are looking for food.  He explains forest food isn't always available which pushes bears toward bird feeders or garbage cans.  Peter says as the weather warms bears reduce their activity to the cooler times of day.  He indicates bears can migrate but as a whole the majority of bear movement is within its own territory.

Can bears be aggressive toward humans?  Peter says brown bears tend to be more aggressive toward humans than black bears and he says black bears tend to be skittish.  Peter says a black bear attacking and killing a human is a very rare circumstance.  He says studies done indicate a mother black bear is still unlikely to attack even if their cubs are threatened.  Peter explains black bear mothers will do a bluff charge threat but are unlikely to attack and they are more likely to leave the cub.  He says brown bear mothers are likely to attack and kill human in defense of their cubs.

The North American Bear Center & Northwoods Ecology Hall in Ely, Minnesota offers visitors an up close look at black bears.  This opportunity allows for pictures and questions of the experts on hand.  If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Spencer Peter, it is available below.