BLACK BEAR SIGHTINGS INCREASE IN MISSOURI

JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri's black bear population, still somewhat of a novelty in the state, usually produces a rash of sightings in the spring.

The bears seen at this time often are juveniles moving into unoccupied habitats. But this year has been different; bear sightings were reported during the winter and into the spring, probably as a result of a milder than usual winter.

"People have been seeing bears all winter," says Scott McWilliams, a wildlife damage biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

"The bears went into winter in good physical shape because we had a bumper acorn crop last fall. We have had an early spring with a lot of warm weather in the Ozarks, so there is a lot of early vegetation. As far as bear problems, we haven't had any, but I know of four or five sightings."

McWilliams says this spring also brought the first hard evidence of a female black bear raising cubs in Missouri.

"We knew there were sows here with established home ranges," he says, "but this is the first time we have been able to confirm a sighting of a female with cubs."

Black bear cubs usually are born in mid-January and stay in the den nursing until about the first of April. The female keeps the cubs with her for two years. Black bears, which apparently moved into Missouri following a reintroduction program in Arkansas, rarely are dangerous, but people who encounter them should be cautious, especially with a sow that has cubs with her.

Bears' diet includes almost anything edible. David Goad, a bear program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and fish Commission, says, "Black bears have large canine teeth typical of meat eaters, but their diet is mostly fruits, berries and nuts, with the majority of their "meat" being insects.

When natural foods are scarce (usually in early summer), they may overcome their fear of people and seek food around human habitations.

"If a hungry, roaming bear finds an easy meal of bird feeders, squirrel feeders, pet food, garbage or bee hives, it may hang around long enough to cause serious problems for the property owner and itself.

"When a bear is fed by people, it learns to associate people and food. It will then investigate human activity whether food is present or not. This habit is difficult to discourage and if handouts are taken away, bears will still search for other human food, getting into garbage cans, dumpsters, compost piles and domestic animal food supplies such as dog and fish food," Goad says.

Biologists in bear country have a saying "A fed bear is a dead bear." Bears that are fed by well-meaning people often turn into problem bears and end up having to be killed by wildlife damage control authorities.

Black bear sightings in Missouri include a bear carrying away scraps from a pork and baked potato dinner outside a house, a bear seen near a house after tearing down a bird feeder and a bear, also near a house, raiding cat food containers. All three sightings were in Ozark County.

Other Missouri sightings include a bear seen on a boat dock at Table Rock Lake (a barbeque had taken place there), a bear with two cubs crossing a field near West Plains and a bear eating persimmons near Gainesville. One homeowner in Texas County found bear tracks around an out building, while another resident near West Plains saw a black bear he estimated at 250 to 300 pounds. Other sightings include a small bear someone saw walking into a brushy area in southwest Missouri and a bear seen walking across a rural driveway near West Plains.