DNR offers advice if a bear ends up in your yard

Sightings are common, but not yet in the area

Bear sightings have been pretty common this spring in some parts of south and southwestern Wisconsin, along with parts of southeastern Minnesota.

La Crosse County, however, not so much says DNR warden Ed McCann. The latest in the county was bear tracks in Holmen, Wis., back in December.

One piece of advice he had if you see a bear: “The No. 1 recommendation is, do not attempt to pet the bear. If you can all remember that, I think you’ll be OK.”

Of course, McCann is joking. Kind of. You really shouldn’t pet the bear.

Despite there not being any calls lately in the area about bears, McCann figures he’ll get one soon enough and is pretty certain how it will go.

“Typically, the calls are, ‘The bear has knocked down my bird feeder,’ or ‘knocked down my honey bee hive,'” McCann said. “Something like that. Or, ‘It’s in my yard.’

“In those cases, we tell people to bear-proof their honey bee hives or take down their bird feeders.”

McCann added there’s not a normal protocol for the agency when a bear just comes into someone’s backyard to snack on the bird feeder. But he did have some simple advice if it happens.

“It’s easy to say this, but they’re typically more afraid of you, than you are of them,” McCann said. “Generally, they’ll take off if you make noise or if you make yourself visible.”

So, once again, don’t pet, but yell at the bear. 

McCann says to remember, bears are basically overgrown raccoon.

“They’re omnivorous creatures that are looking to take advantage of any food sources that’s available,” he said. “They’ve got a really good nose and don’t know enough to be fearful of garages, houses and stuff like that.”

The latest bear sighting nearby happened in Chatfield, Minn. – just south Rochester – where DNR and police had to shoot the bear, as it didn’t run away when officers tried noise and light to scare it.