MANISTEE — More than 2,000 bear reside below the Mackinac Bridge, and a number of them live in Manistee County.
Are there bear in Manistee National Forest?
Be Bear Aware
Be aware of bears and follow these safety recommendations. Keep a clean campsite. Store food and garbage out of sight and in closed vehicles. Never put food scraps or litter in the campfire; it attracts bears and skunks.
What part of Michigan are bears in?
the Upper Peninsula
A majority — around 10,000 — of Michigan’s bears reside in the Upper Peninsula. In 2020, there were about 2,700 bears in the northern Lower Peninsula.
What animals live in Manistee National Forest?
The area tends to be densely forested with a mix of hardwoods, red and white pine and aspen. Wildlife species that commonly inhabit this area include white-tailed deer, bobcat, coyote, red fox, raccoon, porcupine, squirrels, pileated woodpecker, ruffed grouse, wild turkey and various songbirds.
How far south are bears in Michigan?
State DNR wildlife technicians and biologists say 90 percent of the bears are in the Upper Peninsula with most of the remainder are in northern Lower Michigan. But bears are now being spotted as far south as the Indiana border.
Are there grizzly bears in Michigan?
The only species of bear found in Michigan is the black bear. Michigan’s forestland in the Upper Peninsula provides the ideal habitat for the species, with ample food and plenty of cover.
What time do black bears come out?
Bears are usually active from dawn to dusk, but they may be seen any time of day or night. Bears in many places of high human use have become nocturnal in order to avoid people.
Are bear attacks common in Michigan?
Adam Bump, the DNR’s bear and fur-bearer specialist, said bear attacks are rare in Michigan. Bump said there’s typically about one report a year of a minor attack by a mother bear trying to protect her cubs.
Are Michigan black bears aggressive?
Black bears are shy, elusive animals, usually flee when encountered, and are generally not a threat to humans. However, bears are also large and powerful animals that have been known to injure and even kill humans if they feel threatened.
Are mountain lions in Michigan?
Is there a population of wild cougars in Michigan? Cougars, also called mountain lions, were originally native to Michigan, but were extirpated from Michigan around the turn of the century. The last known wild cougar legally taken in the state occurred in 1906 near Newberry.
Are there wolves in Manistee National Forest?
Gray wolves have been found only rarely in the past 15 years in the Lower Peninsula north of highway M-55, which runs east-west between Manistee on Lake Michigan and Tawas City on Lake Huron, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). And none has recently been detected south of that highway.
What’s the biggest national forest in Michigan?
The Manistee National Forest
The Manistee National Forest is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It has a total area of 540,187 acres (2,190 km2).
| Manistee National Forest | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43.85°N 85.95°W |
| Area | Total – 978,906 acres (3,960 km2) Huron – 438,584 acres (1,770 km2) Manistee – 540,322 acres (2,190 km2) |
How big is the Manistee National Forest?
538,756 acres
The Manistee National Forest is 538,756 acres that spreads 40 miles east to west and 70 miles north to south. In 1945, the Huron National Forest and Manistee National Forest were joined for administrative purposes.
What counties in Michigan have black bears?
Approximately 15,000-19,000 black bear roam Michigan forests. 90% of these bear are found in the upper peninsula with the remaining 10% found in the northern portion of lower Michigan. This includes Leelanau, Antrim, Grand Traverse and Benzie counties.
Where Are there wolves in Michigan?
Wolves began naturally returning to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula via Canada and Wisconsin in the early 1990s. Since that time populations have increased and continue to expand their range. Evidence of range expansion into the Lower Peninsula came when a gray wolf was accidentally killed in Presque Isle County in 2004.
Where are the biggest bears in Michigan?
CALEDONIA, Mich. — A hunter from Caledonia found out his name is going in the Michigan record books. It’s for one of the largest bears in state history that he came across while hunting last September in Manistee County.
Is there moose in Michigan?
Moose are currently found in two areas of the Upper Peninsula: the reintroduced population in Marquette, Baraga and Iron counties, and a smaller remnant population in the eastern UP, found primarily in Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce and Chippewa counties.
How many cougars are in Michigan?
This latest confirmation brings the total number of confirmed cougar reports to 74 in Michigan since 2008. This figure does not necessarily translate to the same number of cougars because a single animal may be included in more than one confirmed report, the DNR said.
Does Michigan have polar bears?
Someone’s attempt to break up the winter doldrums with humor was taken seriously by enough people that the urban legend-debunking website Snopes.com felt compelled to weigh in, declaring the alert false. “Polar bears are arctic animals that live in the northernmost parts of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Norway.
What are bears afraid of?
The vast majority of bears are too afraid of humans to come near them, but this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, bears overcome their fear of humans and will approach people or campsites. The main reason bears will overcome their fear of humans is because of food rewards.
What month are bears most active?
If you want to give yourself the best chance to see an active bear, September and October are the best months. Bears are most active during this period, preparing for their lengthy hibernation. Some of the most popular activities for bears include snoozing, wandering, and fishing.