With news of bears appearing in the Metro area, I headed on over to the Minnesota DNR's bear sighting map and noticed that back in March there were 7 bears spotted to the southeast of Faribault, 5 cubs, and 2 adults, on the 1st of the month. So where are those bears now?

The bears were spotted along Gates Ave and roughly the intersection of 240th Street East back in March. You see the exact location and its relation to Faribault below.

Image Credit: MNDNR
Image Credit: MNDNR
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Image Credit: MNDNR
Image Credit: MNDNR
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So where did they go? According to bearwise.org, a website all about bears, a black bear, which is the type of bear most commonly found in Minnesota, needs a "home range large enough to provide them with food, shelter, and mates. Males have larger home ranges (up to 300 square miles) than females (up to 50 square miles). A male’s home range typically overlaps with multiple female home ranges. Bears travel farthest when food is harder to find, especially in early spring."

It's likely that back in March the bears were looking for food or a new place to call their home range. So far there hasn't been any indication that the bears have been spotted since in Rice, Steele, or Dodge Counties. There was a lone bear spotted in Goodhue County in April according to the website. It appears they have either moved on or have reminded out of the sight of residents in the area.

Image Credit: Google Maps
Image Credit: Google Maps
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However unlikely, if you happen to come across a mother bear with her cubs, you should know that according to bearwise.org "It’s rare for mother black bears to attack a person in defense of cubs because her cubs can climb trees when they feel threatened. When they are up in a tree she knows they are safe. Your best action is to be calm and give her plenty of room, even if it means you have to change your planned hike or other activity. Never keep approaching her, even if the cubs are in a tree."

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