It’s safe to say that when we bought our cottage, dealing with black bears was not something that we anticipated having to deal with. Fortunately, we have not had any run-ins with black bears to date thanks to preparedness on our part, but we cannot say the same for some of our neighbors.
Black bears are quite common in Wisconsin where our cottage is located, with over 24,000 bears known to be wandering the state as of a 2017 study. They “den” (similar to hibernation) in the cold Winter months but are pretty active from Spring through Fall, especially in Summer during the high season of vacation home usage. If you own or rent a cottage during the Summer months in an area where black bears are prevalent, you need to prepare yourself for how to stay safe.
Interesting Black Bear Facts
The American Black Bear, also known as Ursus Americanus, is the most commonly found bear species in the United States and the only bear species found in the midwest. Despite the name, black bears can range in color from a dark black brown to cinnamon or rust and even blonde in some subspecies.
How big are black bears? Well, they are the smallest of the bear species found in America, but adults still typically reach a weight of 400 pounds and a standing height of 5 feet on average. This is considerably smaller size than the other native bear species to the lower 48 which is the Brown Bear or “Grizzly” Bear. Grizzlies are only found in the Rocky Mountain region and adults typically are 600-800 pounds and 6-7 feet tall!
Below are some interesting facts about black bears that will help you to identify abnormal behavior and avoid unwanted run-ins with them at your cottage.
Independent Homebodies
Black bears do not venture far from their home base, unless they are forced or highly incentivized to do so. Males typically stay within a circumference of 15-30 miles of their den and females a circumference of 5-10 miles.
If a bear does venture out, within or outside of their home base, they will likely do it alone. The exceptions to this is are when a mother bear still has young cubs and brings them along or when there is a plentiful food source that many bears will congregate around.
Food Motivated Omnivores
A black bear’s natural diet consists primarily of plants, nuts, berries and small animals, but they are opportunistic eaters. A bear will eat practically anything that is readily available to them and even go so far as to relocate their home base if they find a reliable food source.
Super Smellers
A bear’s sense of smell is unparalleled and believed to be among the strongest, if not the absolute strongest, of all living animal species. Black bears can pick up the scent of food or a human from miles way.
Shy but Smart and Curious
Humans generally frighten black bears. They will maintain their distance and avoid contact as much as possible if they know people are actively around. That being said, they are very intelligent and exploratory animals. If something draws their attention, such as a food source, they will likely check it out.
Runners, Swimmers and Climbers
Speed and strength are some of the most impressive qualities that black bears possess. They can run up to 30 miles per hour, which is considerably faster than the fastest male human’s top speed of 24 miles per hour. They can also swim over a mile and climb 100 feet up a tree in 30 seconds. Needless to say, black bears are highly athletic.
Most Active at Dawn and Dusk
If you do see a bear, it’s most likely going to be in the early hours of the morning or just before the sunsets. These are the times of the day that bears are moving around the most and exploring. During the day, they’re known to relax and will take often take several naps.
Where Do Black Bears Live?
North America is home to the Black Bear where they can be found in all three countries – The United States of America, Canada and Mexico. In the U.S., black bears are most prevalent in the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountain Region, the northern Midwestern states, the Appalachian Mountain Region and New England.
In Wisconsin specifically, they are abundant in the upper third of the state, from Eau Claire, Stevens Point and Suamico northwards. While not abundant, they are still common in the middle third of the state from the La Crosse, Wisconsin Dells and Green Bay Northwards. They are uncommon in the south and east of the state from Madison to Milwaukee to the Door County peninsula and the surrounding areas, however transient black bears have occasionally been spotted in those regions.
How to Keep Black Bears Away
As previously mentioned, bears are highly food motivated. The best thing you can do to keep them away is to keep food out of their reach. Under no circumstances should you ever feed a bear or intentionally leave food out for them.
Once a bear associates a place with food, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of them. Here are a few places a bear could find food at your property that you may or may not have considered problem areas as well as options for bear proofing them.
Trash Cans
Trash cans are one of the biggest attractors of bears to a populous areas. Black bears, as well as a many other common Midwestern animals like raccoons and opossums, love to rifle through smelly trash cans looking for scraps fo food.
The best thing you can do is keep your trash inside of a locked building, like a garage, shed or in your home and ensure it is taken out regularly and the trash cans cleaned. If that is not an option, you have a few alternatives.
First, you could use a bear proof trash can. Sometimes they are offered through your municipality for a relatively nominal fee, but if you have to go out and procure one privately you may be out several hundred dollars. Most dumpster style trash cans are pretty solid though, so modifying them is often a simple, easy and inexpensive action to take.
- Straps fit typical city garbage can lids up to 96 Gallons
- Steel construction prevents bears from chewing through
- Two straps keep the lid closed tight
- Easy to install, attach and detach
Grill
clean it afer every use
Compost
clean it afer every use
Bird Feeder
do not hang bird feeder outside of winter. if you must, hang it high like 10 feet above ground and away from any surface a bear could stand on to get to it
- Heavy duty powder coated solid steel weighs over 9 pounds
- Holds up to bears, harsh weather and general use
- Easily fills from the top; removable bottom for easy clean out
- Features six perches and ten seed viewing windows
Pet Food
clean it afer every use
Coolers
If you don’t have a real need to keep a stocked cooler or ice chest outside, then our advice is don’t. Bears can smell the contents of a cooler through the shell, whether it is a soft or hard cooler, and in most cases they can easily break into them to get the food out.
If for some reason you absolutely must keep food in a cooler outside, then make sure it’s a bear proof cooler. YETI coolers are known for being high quality coolers with excellent insulating abilities and leakproof sealing. These factors also help make it a great choice for keeping bears out since it keeps food extra cold (which reduces the potential of odors being released from thawing foods) and blocks scents from escaping.
- 3 inch thick PermaFrost Insulation keeps ice frozen
- Extra thick FatWall design is certified Bear-Resistant
- Rotomolded Construction is virtually indestructible
- Heavy-duty rubber T-Rex Lid Latches
- Corner holes accept bear proof locks
While these features of the YETI set it above its competitor coolers in terms bear prevention abilities, they don’t make it bear proof. You will need strong locks to ensure that if a black bear happens upon your cooler, it will remain shut. Fortunately, YETI sells bear proof locks and their coolers are designed to accommodate them with holes on the front two corners. Buy a pack of two and secure both sides when leaving an in-use cooler outside during the day.
- Set of two solid brass padlocks
- Prevent thieves and bears from accessing cooler contents
- Tested against real bears in captivity and the wild
- Includes two locks and two keys
- Fits all YETI Tundra and Roadie Coolers
Anything Scented
…
If You See a Black Bear
Seeing a bear can be an exciting experience, especially when it is in the wild in its own natural habitat where it should be observed from afar and its space respected. However, if you see a bear in an area where it should not be, especially a more populous area, it’s important that you try deter it even if it is not specifically doing something wrong.
If you see a bear, even if it’s not doing something wrong, it’s important that you try to deter them. According to the DNR problems with bears come from bears that have gotten too comfortable around people. Bears are naturally afraid of humans and
If you see bear, you should try to scare it away, so long as it is safe to do so.
- Place yourself in a secure area so the bear has a clear escape path.
- Make a lot of noise by yelling, honking a car horn, or banging pots and pans. •
- Install motion-activated water sprinklers, lights or alarms.
Do Black Bears Attack Humans?
Black bears are not naturally aggressive and black bear attacks are highly uncommon, on average one per year across all of North America and the 750,000 black bears that inhabit the continent. Fewer still are attacks on humans that turn out to be fatal which occurs once every few years. By contrast, hundreds of people die every year from mosquito bites and complications from transmission of viruses and other diseases.
The more likely response of a bear when coming face to face is that they run away. Black bears fear “the repercussions of attacking someone” and avoid confrontation wherever possible. They will get defensive, however, when they feel threatened and that running is not an option. This can happen when they are startled or approached as if to corner. They are also not very territorial or predatory, so its unlikely that a black bear will be protective of its food or family or intent on making a meal of a human.
Dealing with an Aggressive Bear
The most important thing to know is that if a bear is aggressive with you, you need to be aggressive with it to best protect yourself from a full on attack. Never be passive with a black bear by running away or lying down and playing dead. If you are in a situation where a black bear is being aggressive towards you, do the following.
Give the bear an exit
Position yourself in a way that gives the bear a clear path to get out of your territory. Never drive a black bear into a corner or attempt to block it from escaping in any way. Remember, black bears are timid and prefer to avoid confrontation if given the option.
Back away, slowly
Open up space between you and the bear if you can. Move slowly backwards towards a safe area like an accessible home, garage, shed or car. Never turn your back on a black bear or attempt to run away.
Be vocal and loud
Talk to the bear. Black Bears are naturally afraid of humans and hearing your voice should cause it to reconsider its position and plan its escape. If your normal voice doesn’t drive it to leave, begin raising your voice until you are shouting at it. If you have items handy that can be used as instruments sticks, furniture or pot and pans, you can bang those together to generate loud noise.
- Powerful horn blast scares nearby bears away
- Compact and easy to carry in pockets for quick access
- Enough juice for sixty ¼ second bursts
- On / Off feature prevents accidental deployment
- Strong 115 dB horn blast can be heard up to 0.5 miles away
If you have a bear horn on or near you, use it.
Be physically dramatic
Make yourself look larger and more fearsome to a black bear by raising your arms above your head and waving them.
Protect Yourself with Bear Mace
If you happen to have bear mace on or near you, use it. Unlike regular mace, bear mace is capapable of a long shot up to 20 feet away so you don’t need to wait until the bear is right on you.
- Works from a distance of up to 35 feet
- Temporarily incapacitates a bear’s ability to see and smell
- Heavy fog creates large barrier of protection
- Effective against polar, brown and black bears
- Made and rigorously tested in the U.S.A.
If You See Signs of a Black Bear
Make yourself look larger and more fearsome to a black bear by raising your arms above your head and waving them.
If Nothing Works!
If you have a recurring black bear problem and are unsuccessful in scaring it away after several attempts, you will be hard pressed to resolve the issue yourself. If black bears are a nuisance presence in your area and are uncomfortably comfortable around humans or causing damage to agriculture, contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services for your state. They will respond with information on how to remedy the situation best. In Wisconsin, the phone numbers are as follows:
- Northern Wisconsin: 1-800-228-1368
- Southern Wisconsin: 1-800-433-0663
For more info see this helpful infographic made by the Wisconsin DNR on bear safety.
