Black bear crosses southern Illinois; now in Indiana
Illinois is waving a fond farewell to the black bear that crossed southern Illinois over the last half of June, as sightings now indicate it has forded the Wabash River and gone into southwest Indiana.
The bear, which Department of Natural Resources experts are convinced is a young male, was first reported on June 10 in Waterloo in Monroe County. Over the next two weeks the bear was spotted near Illinois Route 177 near Mascoutah on June 12; near Du Bois on June 15; in the Rend Lake spillway parking lot on June 17; and in White County north of Carmi on June 22.
On Sunday a black bear was spotted in southwest Indiana near Elberfeld, close to the Vanderburgh-Warrick county border. It fits with the east-southeast pattern the bear set in crossing Illinois.
Mike Wefer, wildlife chief of the Illinois DNR, said bears traveling solo will generally move in a discernible direction and not wander aimlessly.
"You could draw a line," he added. "It won't be a straight line, of course."
These bears are almost always young males, who are motivated to travel in search of safe territory to live in and bulk up, and eventually seek out females. Most traveling bears are 1.5 to 2 years old, and have recently left their mothers, but it is too dangerous to remain near home, since their fathers will drive away the males - or kill them - in order to remain king of their territory, said Brad Westrich, mammalogist with the Indiana DNR.
He said while the Illinois bear has no discernible markings, DNR officials in Indiana strongly believe this is the same bear. No one knows if he'll stay in western Indiana or keep moving east.
But surprisingly, there's a good chance we'll see him again, as bears have "incredible" homing instincts, Westrich said. After a year or two of bulking up, they often go home and try to take on their fathers for supremacy.
Wefer said it is likely the Illinois bear started out in Missouri, where the bear populations have reached such numbers the state will permit hunting them in October for the first time. In Illinois, black bears have been a protected species since 2015, and cannot be hunted, killed or harassed unless there is an imminent threat to person or property.
Wefer said Illinois is in the midst of a black bear recovery, as numbers grow in neighboring Missouri, Kentucky and Wisconsin, and the animals are spreading into Illinois. They can swim, so crossing the Mississippi River is no hardship, Wefer said.
Wefer said the re-establishment of bear colonies in Illinois is "a when, not an if." Black bears are intelligent and clever and are more adaptable than other mammals, he said. They are also timid, which means they actively avoid human encounters. Moreover they are omnivorous, Wefer said, eating both vegetation and meat, and so have a wider range of food sources. Some bears in the mountains will even eat yellow jacket nests, he said,
Westrich is pleased that people have been captivated by the lone black bear's journey through Illinois and Indiana, because it gives all of us a chance to start getting used to having them around, he said.
"This is a good way to test the waters and see where more education is needed," he added.
Westrich said the time to see roaming bears is after they awaken from hibernation in the spring. At this point in the year they are stocking up and bulking up.
He said bears can travel as many as 1,000 miles from their home base in search of territory they can dominate and find mates - and still find their way home if they aren't killed along the way. Adult males can weigh anywhere from 130 pounds to 500 pounds.
Humans and bears should stay far apart, says Wefer.
"Don't run up and take a selfie," he deadpanned.
If you find yourself too close to a bear, don't play dead - while that might fool a grizzly bear, a black bear will see through it, Wefer said. And if you turn to run, the bear will give chase - and he can rapidly outrun you.
"Stand your ground and fight," he advises. "Throw rocks and sticks, kick and punch, and make as much noise as you can."
Other tips:
Do not feed bears
Do not approach them, or shoot them.
Do not leave pet food outside.
Do not push trash cans out until the day of pickup.