Encounters with Black Bears in Copper Harbor, Michigan

In my article, "Common Tourist Questions About Copper Harbor Michigan," I mentioned that one there are common questions tourists always ask when they come to Copper Harbor, Michigan. One of them is, "Where can I see bears?" One answer to that could be, "Just wait, they may find you!"

Bear Picnic
When I was 4 years old, my parents bought the Keweenaw Agate Shop in Copper Harbor, which is located at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. Every year after that, our spring weekends were spent getting the place ready to open on Memorial Day weekend.

So it happened that when I was five, I ended up missing my kindergarten year-end picnic. I was very disappointed, so my father said he would take me on a picnic to Fort Wilkins State Park. He was taking a group of tourists out to an abandoned mine to go rock hunting. My mother packed my picnic lunch in a metal lunch box, and I happily jumped into the jeep for my adventure.

I had no idea that I was really going to have an Adventure! My dad dropped me off at Fort Wilkins while he took the tourists to the mine. I really don't think this was the original plan. I probably talked him into it because he really had a hard time saying no to me.

I was the only one in the park that day, as it was still early spring. I was happily sitting at one of the picnic tables, eating my lunch, when I heard a noise behind me. I looked around and spied a huge black bear digging through the garbage cans. (Okay, he was probably was just medium sized, but after all, I was only 5. He looked huge to me!) He was on the other side of the picnic area but it was clear he was making his way over to me.

I did what I thought was the smartest thing to do...I took my lunch box and climbed under the picnic table. There was no way I was going to let that bear have MY lunch! I cowered under the table and watched the bear as he ambled all the way up to the table, sniffed at me, and then walked away. My little heart was pounding but when my dad came back to pick me up, he found me sitting at the table, finishing up my lunch.

When I told my story, Dad said I could have climbed up to the top of the children's slide that was close to where I was eating. I don't know how that would have helped, since bears can climb, unless I had left my lunch behind! Gasp. No way! I don't know what happened when my mother learned about my adventure, but I am sure my dad never considered leaving me alone again.

The "Bear Pit"
Black bears (ursus americanus) are very common in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They average in size from 4-7 feet from nose to tail, and stand about 2-3 feet high. It is not unusual for them to wander into town, particularly after the local "Bear Pit" was closed in the 1990's. This was actually the town dump, which has now been turned into a landfill. As a child, I would laugh at the tourists lined up in their cars, in a bizarre parody of a drive-in movie; only instead of a movie, people were staring at a pile of garbage, waiting for the bears to come out for dinner!

Bears also wander around the town at night, tipping over garbage cans. To get to our bathroom, you had to go out on the back porch, which is also where the garbage cans were placed. One night I was answering nature's call, and opened the back door. I was greeted by a black bear that had decided that night to investigate the quality of our garbage. I gave a little scream and just as quickly closed the door. When we visited Copper Harbor in July of 2007, we heard there was a bear wandering the streets at night. I stayed up late for several nights, hoping to see it, but was not fortunate to get a glimpse on that trip, although my sister said she saw when driving on M-26 highway.

How ferocious are Black Bears?
Tourists are always told, "Do Not Feed the Bears." Driving home along Hwy 41 with my dad, we would often come across a string of cars stopped right in the middle of the road. The people would be out of their cars, taking pictures of a bear. Some were giving it food, standing there with arms outstretched, sandwich or donut in hand. My dad would say, "the bear doesn't know where the sandwich ends and your arm begins. Never feed a bear." I was also advised never to get between a mother bear and her cubs. I learned to be cautious of bears, but not particularly afraid of them.

There is new information about the supposed danger of encountering a black bear. Lynn L. Rogers, PhD, of the Wildlife Research Institute, has been researching black bears since 1967. In the article, "How Dangerous are Black Bears, Can We Co-Exist?" he states that "black bears can be added to the growing list of animals that were once feared but are now known to be mostly gentle and timid." Bears have very keen hearing and will often retreat before a person is aware they are near. If a person startles a bear, it will often climb a tree or run away, rather than attacking, as grizzly bears often do. Defense of cubs is mostly a grizzly bear trait as well, as black bear mothers seldom attack if their cubs are threatened.

Black bears do engage in ferocious appearing bluffs, which is their defensive action when they feel threatened by what Rogers describes as "people who behave like bad mannered bears." This usually takes the form of swats or nips towards the person who crowds them, tries to pet them, or teases them with food. Any injuries resulting are usually slight, requiring only minor medical attention.

However, there are documented cases of black bears killing people, so again caution is advised. They are still wild animals, and have been known to engage in unprovoked aggressive attacks. Statistically, these tend to occur in remote areas where they have had little contact with people. If you are attacked by a black bear, Rogers advises you should fight back. Yell, make a lot of noise, and run towards the bear, or better yet, carry a can of pepper spray and spray them with it.

Don't Feed the Bears
So if black bears are timid and not prone to attack, why should we avoid feeding them? After all, it makes for great photo opportunities. The main reason is that black bears are omnivorous, which means they will eat almost anything. Food from humans becomes a real treat, because they don't have to work for it. They particularly like sweets. Once bears become used to getting food from humans, they will stop foraging on their own, because it is easier to look for it in your campsite, your garbage can, or wait until someone says, "Oh look, a cute bear. Take a picture while I feed it this hot dog."

Bears that get used to this human behavior can become a nuisance, and people will start demanding that something be done with these "troublemakers." The Department of Natural Resources will intervene, capture the animal, and take them far away to let them loose. However, this often has limited success, for it may only take the bear a few days to get back to its previous habitat. Repeat offenders might even be put to sleep. So if you are a lover of wildlife, allow them to be wild and keep your hot dogs and candy to yourself. (adapted from the Brockway Inn Bear Page)

So you see, my instincts at age 5 were correct! I did not feed the bear!

Sources:

Website: Exploring the North
http://www.exploringthenorth.com/keweenaw/home.html

The Official Website of Copper Harbor
http://www.copperharbor.org/drives.html

Fort Wilkins State Park
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17447_18595_18604-51222--,00.html

Website: Wildlife Research Institute
http://www.bearstudy.org/website

Article, "How Dangerous are Black Bears, Can We Co-Exist? by Lynn Rogers, 1992
http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/How_Dangerous_are_Black_Bears.html

Article, "Watchable Wildlife: The Black Bear" by Lynn Rogers, 1992
http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/Watchable_Wildlife.html

Website: Brockway Inn Bear Page
http://www.brockwayinn.com/bearpage_files/home.html