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 Indiana sending Michigan black bear back to home

 
By JACK SPAULDING
Spaulding Outdoors 
 
Looks like the species diversity thrill of having a black bear call Indiana home has worn off. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has made the announcement the black bear is to be trapped and relocated.
Apparently the bear’s track record of scattering trash, tearing up beehives, snacking on bird feeders and befouling driveways has earned it a ticket back home to the state of Michigan. Now, all the biologists have to do is catch the rascal.
Wildlife biologists with the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife plan to trap and relocate the black bear now that it has been seen numerous times in Michigan City the past few weeks. The trap was set the evening of July 15 at a confidential location. (If it is still going on when this is published, residents are asked not to attempt to interfere in any way with the trapping operation.)
On the night of July 14, Indiana Conservation Officers responded to multiple bear sightings in the Motts Park area of the city. Several residents reported seeing a bear rifling through trash and bird feeders near their homes. The bear was also reported walking on porches and standing against patio doors.
Because the bear has become habituated to the suburban area, visiting sites repeatedly, negative interactions with residents have increased greatly, potentially compromising the safety of both the residents and the bear. Biologists are working with the Michigan DNR to relocate the bear to rural Michigan, which, unlike Indiana, has a sizable established bear population.
Black bears are shy by nature and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks are rare. Black bears are non-aggressive in most instances and prefer fleeing from humans when given the chance.
Until the bear is captured, it is recommended residents take precautions to secure trash indoors. If the bear is encountered, a person should make lots of noise to discourage the animal from the area, and should not attempt to attract the bear with food.
The young male bear appears to have first entered Indiana in St. Joseph County the week of June 12. A scat pile it left in a resident’s driveway just north of South Bend was the evidence DNR needed to confirm the presence of a wild bear in Indiana for the first time since 1871.
Indiana DNR encourages citizens to report sightings of the bear to dfwinput@dnr.IN.gov or 812-334-1137 during normal business hours, or by calling DNR Law Enforcement Central Dispatch at 812-837-9536 anytime. Photos or videos can be sent to the same email address above.
 
Triplet fawns uncommon?
One of my readers, Jerry Will, sent me an email with a clip showing a doe with triplet fawns. He asked: “How rare are triplets born to deer?
It took me a while to research and answer his question, as I didn’t know myself. My first stop was to see one of my good friends and an in-the-know outdoorsman, Bill Barker. When I walked into his shop, he was busy roughing out a long box turkey call, but ready to take a break and socialize. When I posed the question to Bill, he replied, “I don’t think triplet fawns happen often, but I don’t think you would call it a rarity. Does usually give birth to a single fawn their first year. From then on, it is usually twins each year.
“It’s interesting; the fawns aren’t true twins, as each fawn can be fathered by a different buck.” I didn’t realize this!
Carrying on my quest further, I checked the Quality Deer Management Assoc. (QDMA) website at www.qdma.com and, sure enough, the information on it backed what Bill told me. According to QDMA: “Twins are the norm in most populations, but as many as 15-20 percent of does will bear triplets when deer numbers are in balance with high-quality habitat. This is why the average doe in a healthy population can produce more fawns than the average doe in an unhealthy population. It’s also why you should keep a close eye on deer density after making improvements to habitat quality, and adjust your doe-harvest goals if needed.
“Research has shown that 20-25 percent of twin fawn sets were sired by two different bucks. Recently, the first case of ‘multiple paternity’ in a set of triplets – meaning three different sires – was documented by researchers at Auburn University in Alabama.”
 
Master Naturalist course
The popular Indiana Master Naturalist course will be offered again in Bloomington this fall at Karst Farm Park. Cosponsored by Monroe County Parks and Monroe Lake, the course begins on Sept. 10 and takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. each Thursday through Nov. 12.
Advance registration is required by Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. by calling the Monroe County Parks office at 812-349-2800. There is a course fee of $50 per individual or $75 per couple (same household). The course is limited to 20 participants.
The mission of the Indiana Master Naturalist program is to bring together natural resource specialists with adult learners to foster an understanding of Indiana’s plants, water, soils and wildlife and to promote volunteer service in local communities. Participants gain knowledge of Indiana’s plants, wildlife, geology and geography, and meet other Hoosiers with similar interests. Session topics for the fall course are: wildflower identification, insects, fungi biology and identification, aquatic ecology, birds, tree identification, astronomy, fish biology and management, Monroe Lake geology, Indiana fossils, eco-regions and forest management and non-native invaders.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.
7/29/2015