Michigan is home to approximately 12, black bears. The bears can be attracted to residences by the smell of birdfeed — even if the feeder is currently empty — grills, trash and pet food, Griffith said. Rare tick is becoming more common in Michigan, and it could give you a red meat allergy. Man who allegedly stomped parakeet to death charged with felony animal killing. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
All rights reserved About Us. Black bears drink frequently when feeding on vegetation, nuts, or insects but seldom when eating berries. They wallow to cool off on hot days. Wetlands and wooded stream bottoms provide relief from heat, as well as important seasonal foods and denning sites.
Bears use wetlands dominated by balsam fir, black spruce, and tamarack year-round. In the northern Lower Peninsula researchers found 68 percent of den sites in conifer-dominated wetlands, and the same preference is probably true in the Upper Peninsula. The home range of the black bear is dependent upon natural food availability, which itself is linked to climate, soil, and topography.
Breeding success is also a function of habitat quality. Optimal bear habitat contains unfragmented swamps mixed with upland forests and forest openings. Forest openings are small clearings with plenty of edge and non-forest plant diversity.
Bears use these open areas throughout the year for feeding. Within your forest it is important to maintain both closed and open canopies. Closed canopies close-growing trees whose thick crowns block sunlight provide important security and escape cover for bears. Open canopies trees which allow sunlight on the forest ground support a dense understory that produces berries and other fruit.
The understory will be dense with fruiting shrubs and there will be plenty of hard and soft mast food reserves. This combination of adequate food and inaccessible terrain typically includes a large geographic area.
When food is not available, bears will wander great distances to find it. In summary, bears and humans can live without conflict if large expansive forests and swamps are left unfragmented and food producing forest openings are maintained. It is important not to artificially feed bears and attempt to bring them around your house.
They are a species that you can share your land with but should be admired from afar. The linked map is an example that demonstrates the many management options discussed throughout this chapter. The option s you choose should depend not only on your goals, but the location, condition, and present use of your land.
Read and share this handy infographic about Michigan black bears! Black bears are the only bears found in Michigan. These two are often mistaken for one another and should be treated much differently. Black bears are far more timid and unlikely to charge.
You can scare a black bear off by looking it in the eye, making yourself big, and yelling for it to shoo. While with a grizzly bear, you want to avoid eye contact, speak in a calm tone, and drop to a ball if they charge. Carrying bear spray or pepper spray when in bear territory is always a safe practice.
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