By David Fleet
dfleet@mihomepaper.com
Brandon Twp. — A Big Fish Lake area resident recently reported an unlikely visitor.
In mid-December, a black bear tripped a motion detector at about 4 a.m. which triggered a Nest camera in the backyard of a Big Fish Lake resident. After sharing the photo with several neighbors in the area, including an avid bear hunter, the visitor was apparently feasting on a few acorns from a nearby tree.
Kara Colton, Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist for Genesee, Lapeer, Oakland and Northern Livingston counties said no bear sightings have been reported in the Hadley area as of January.
“While the photo is not conclusive that it’s a bear, it is still very possible,” said Colton. “We have had bears in the Clio area. If there are sightings, residents should send the photos to ‘Eyes in the Field.’ We are seeing a bear farther south in Michigan.”
According to news sources, over the past few years several bear sightings have been in reported, including near Montrose, Thomas Township in Saginaw County, the Bridgeport area and Flint Township, where in 2021 a bear was hit by a car, according to Michigan State Police.
According to the Department of Natural Resources there are about 2,500 black bears in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, with more than 10,000 bears in the Upper Peninsula.
In the last 12 years, the DNR has seen an approximate 55% increase in the northern Michigan bear population. Not only has the bear population increased, but they’ve also increased in distribution.
But warmer late fall weather and light snowfall over the past few years could be keeping some bears on the move, say DNR officials.
Black bears typically den-up from mid-November to December in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, said Steve Griffith, a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“When we check the collared sows they have to be very quiet not to wake up the bear,” said Griffith, during an interview with The Citizen. “They know you’re coming. Technically bear’s go into ‘torpor,’ a state of physical or mental inactivity or lethargy. Their heart rate slows and temperature drops a lot. A bear can get disturbed, and if it’s a mild fall, they can stir. Bears figured out they can put on fat during the winter months when they typically have been in a den.”
The trigger is the length of daylight, he said.
“But if it’s warm in mid-December a bear will stay up,” he said. “We have had bears awake at Christmas time.”
Griffith said the young male bear will disperse.
“They get pushed around,” said Griffith. “Mom will run male bears off, while tolerating the daughters. That’s nature’s way to prevent inbreeding. We had one beer that collared in Newago County ended up in Indiana, they are expanding as the population grows.”