Mama Bear and her family ~ April 8, 1993

David Heiller

My friend Deane discovered a mother black bear and her three cubs three weeks ago. He had been walking along his creek on Sunday afternoon, March 22, and came within one stride of stepping on a big black hole in the snow.

He stopped and peered in for a closer look. He could make out a mother bear and what looked like three cubs.

I visited the bear family the next Saturday, along with our two kids and some other friends. We tromped through knee-deep snow, and had to leap over a narrow stretch of fast water. The extra work added to the adventure of seeing a bear den.

Her den was just a little depression in the grass under a fallen tree. There wasn’t much protection, once the snow melted. One cub, about the size of a terrier, had crawled on top of her and was bleating like a lamb. We could hear other muffled cries, somewhere under the mother, which is maybe why they were crying. It was bear talk for “Move, Mom, you’re killing me!”We stood and watched from about 15 feet. The mother knew we were there, she would lift her head and peer at us groggily once in a while, but mostly she just sat and shivered and tried to go back to sleep.

I stepped on the ice of the creek, which was about 10 feet wide, for some pictures. The ice was six inches thick, but honeycombed and not very safe for a 220 pound man. But you don’t see a hibernating bear every day, so I took the risk. I wasn’t worried about myself: the water was only about five feet deep. But I did not want my $300 camera to get dunked.

Sure enough, the ice broke away from the bank and started moving downstream. I tossed my camera to a friend on the bank, just as the ice broke into two pieces. I jumped to the larger floe, then onto the bank. Everybody cheered. I felt like Jim Brandenberg.

The following Tuesday, the creek rose to the bear’s den, and the mother had moved about 10 feet up the bank. The next day, Deane saw the three cubs up a tree. He did not see the mother, and didn’t stick around to see where she was.

That was the last we’ve seen of this bear family. Discovering the hibernating bear family was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, made all the more special because it was shared with some good friends and our two kids. Maybe we’ll see them again. (Hopefully not by my beehives.)

Some bear facts from an expert

I called Curt Rossow DNR conservation officer from Willow River, on April 4 for some bear facts. He was very informative, as always.

It isn’t unusual for the sow to have three cubs, although two is more common. These cubs will stay with her for two years. They’ll get chased off when she comes into heat and attracts a male suitor.

“That’s usually when they get into trouble, that first year when they’re away from mama,” Curt said.

They were probably born in January. “The reason I know is that we had a logger disturb a den west of Moose Lake a few years ago,” Curt said. “The mother had left and the cubs were really cold. We thought they were dead but we put them on the dash of the truck and put on the defroster.”

The three cubs revived. They took them to the home of John Hummel, a conservation officer from Moose Lake and put them in his warm oven.

“By George if they didn’t come around,” Curt said. “Then we did take them back and put them in the den. The mother came back and got them. She accepted them.” The first thing she did was move them to a new location.

Right now the bears will eat dried grasses. They’ll be looking for green things too. If they find a dead animal, they’ll eat it. They may also kill a fawn or small animal. They also like ants and bees.

Pine County has a healthy bear population. “They really have no natural predators other than man,” Curt said, although large males have been known to kill cubs. We have an ideal habitat for bears: good farming country with lots of berries, hazel nuts, and acorns.

Their range is expanding, Curt said. He is on a statewide committee along with other wildlife researchers and game wardens that estimates bear population, and how many should be harvested. Minnesota’s bear quota will be increased by more than 700 in quota zones during this  fall’s hunting season.

“They’re doing it cautiously. They don’t want to wipe them out in the quota area,” Curt said.

[Editor’s note: The information in David’s original article was obviously dated. I call the current DNR Conservation Officer, Dustie Heaton for more update information.]

Pine County currently has both no-quota and quota zones. If you are in a no-quota zone anyone that wants to hunt bears here can buy a license and do so during season.

If a bear is causing damage, it may be destroyed by the landowner. Dustie would appreciate phone call first if it’s not an emergency. They like to try deterrents first. If you do shoot a nuisance bear you have 24 hours to report it. Dustie’s phone number is (218) 485-4851.

Dustie sells the carcass so that the meat and hide can be salvaged. They don’t like to see any go to waste.

If you are a beekeeper, or have a bear creating other nuisance, call Dave Johnson, area Wildlife Manager located in Sandstone, Minnesota at (320) 245-678 for assistance.