PincherriesField Volunteers are needed Thursday, August 28, through Sunday, September 14, to walk well used bear trails in and around Eagles Nest Community to record bear reactions. Why?
Two beliefs that get bears killed by officials and landowners are:
1. Bears that become accustomed to being fed in one location are likely to approach people anywhere and
2. Bears that become comfortable around people are more likely to attack.
Together, these beliefs sound logical enough that officials base bear management policies on them. As a result, many bears that have become somewhat comfortable around people are killed in the name of public safety and to avoid perceived liability problems. Our purpose is to accumulate publishable data on the behaviour toward people at large by black bears that are accustomed to being fed at specific locations. The information could save many bear lives.
We have an opportunity to test the first of these beliefs right here in Eagles Nest Community. Bears are fed at about a dozen feeding stations where they expectantly approach people. A network of trails to and from the feeding stations show areas of heavy bear use in this time of “hyperphagia” when bears are over-eating to add fat for hibernation. Would these hungry bears approach people for food on forest trails away from the feeding stations? We doubt it. To see, we (including volunteers) plan to walk those trails when the bears are most active at dawn and dusk and quantify their reactions.
Volunteers would get food and lodging (free, of course) at the Wildlife Research Institute Field Station, which is one of the feeding stations. Out on the trails, volunteers, working in pairs, would record their routes, hours, sightings, and the bears’ reactions.
To do that, specific instructions will be provided for:
- Filling out Bear Sighting Data Sheets
- Using GPS units to map bear trails and record locations and routes
- Identifying certain bears and determining whether bears are male or female, young or old.
- Using GoPro video/sound recorders.
What are conditions here?
Indoors: The Wildlife Research Institute Field Station, located 14 miles west of Ely, MN, has 3 floors, 3 bathrooms, and 2 showers. It accommodates 8-10 people who can share cooking and dishwashing.
Outdoors: Temperatures are pleasant (not too hot). Ticks and black flies are done. Mosquitoes are not bad any more.
What are the dangers?
We can’t imagine a safer area. Terrain is moderate although bear trails occasionally go up or down moderately steep banks or through moist cedar swamps or black ash swamps. You can step anywhere or put your hands anywhere without fear of snakes, spiders, or quicksand. Snakes are small, harmless, and seldom seen. Spiders do not include brown recluse, black widow, or other dangerous spiders. The biggest danger is a stick in the eye, but we’ll be walking well worn bear trails.
Are the bears and wolves a danger?
In the 51 years of bear-feeding in the Eagles Nest Area, there has never been an attack—not on hikers, children, landowners, or anyone.
What if a bear approaches a volunteer looking for food?
To feel secure, volunteers will carry pepper spray (provided), although we have never needed it.
Is the bear-hunting season that starts September 1st a danger?
No one has been shot by a bear-hunter since bear hunting became regulated in 1971. Hunters now shoot down from tree stands over bait rather than shooting through the forest. Nevertheless, volunteers will wear orange vests and carry flashlights (both provided). There are relatively few bear hunters—roughly 1 per square mile. Across Minnesota, only 6,300 bear licenses are issued compared with over 800,000 deer licenses for the deer season that comes later in fall. If volunteers come across a bear hunter, the goal is to avoid any disturbance.
What if I get lost?
Walking will be in the close vicinity of the community with roads on all sides. Volunteers will have maps and compasses (provided) to show the shortest distance to a road. Cell phone coverage is good. Volunteers can call the WRI. Someone will drive to the nearest point and blow the horn while talking by cell phone.
How long should I stay?
The longer a volunteer can stay during this 18-day period, the more valuable the volunteer will become.
How can I join in?
Email Lynn Rogers at
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.