Time for Black Bear Sightings

This from the News Herald:

"Black bears have been going over Little Mountain - and a lot of other places in Northeast Ohio.This is the time of year when 18-month-old male black bears are on the move, being chased away by their mothers, which are looking to be bred again.Consequently this is when bears are most often seen, sometimes rummaging through trash cans or raiding bird feeders.And the Ohio Division of Wildlife is preparing to conduct an intensive survey to help determine exactly how many bears there might be in the region, either as residents or as casual visitors.In 2007, the state recorded 113 black bear sightings in 17 counties.Last year, both Lake and Geauga counties recorded one black bear sighting each."That's actually pretty low for Geauga County. Typically there we see at least a half-dozen or so sightings," said Dan Kramer, wildlife management supervisor for the Wildlife Division's Northeast Ohio office."In 2006, Geauga County had a whopping 19 reported black bear sightings."......more here

We had a black bear on the farm a number of years ago, but that's the only time we've spotted one.