Spring is Here: Michigan Bears Begin Invading Human Territory

Michigan’s bears seem to be getting more and more bold and less fearful of humans.

Those ‘large black animals’ that you once saw at a distance are getting closer and closer. While roadtripping, I have seen bears loping across the northern dirt roads from time to time. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources claims there are approximately 2,000 black bears in the Michigan mitten, with over 10,000 more in the Upper Peninsula.

What brings these bears into our yards? The hunt for food, especially in springtime when they finish hibernating. By now they are extremely hungry and are scavenging for something to eat. They’ll scour garbage cans, garages, various animal feeders, patios, porches, barns, sheds...anywhere.

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...and not just on private property. They stumble into national parks, roadside picnic areas, parking lots, restaurant dumpsters, golf courses, and along lakeshores. The bears will rummage through extinguished campfires and grills, dump over trash cans, and rip down bird feeders. If you have a garden or some kind of berry bush in your yard, nearby bears will smell ‘em out and pay a visit.

Once the bears have fed themselves after a long hibernation, private property sightings are less frequent...so when they re-emerge the following spring, it’s always headline news.

I encountered a bear on the road while in the car. I stopped and the bear walked right up to the car and jumped up, paws on the window, looking for food. In the right circumstances they are fearless but are often mistaken for being cute and friendly. Don’t rely on that. They are still wild animals and if hungry enough, will start to eye you up and down.

All that being said, scroll down and take a look at some examples of Michigan bears invading homes and private properties...