Windwolf
Crex Meadows ... Black Bear on the Meadows
Black Bear of Crex Meadows
Crex Meadows supports a viable population of American Black Bear. Tracks are most common in the spring months as the bears begin to move around looking for food supplies.
The picture to the left was taken June 1, 2007 on a road that had recently been graded so the print was very clear and very fresh. Clicking on the image will bring a larger picture into a new window, with a dollar bill along side the tracks for a size reference. A dollar bill is 6 1/4 inches long.
Extreme Caution should always be used around any Black bears. They are big and can become very territorial or protective of young. Even when viewing tracks keep aware of your surroundings so you do not surprise a bear or become surprised by a moving bear.
The above picture was also taken June 1, 2007 in a different part of Crex Meadows. It appears two bears crossed this area, possibly a mother and yearling cub. Clicking on the above image will open a close up of the large track on the lower left of the picture, in a new window or tab.
So far my bear encounters on Crex Meadows has been limited to sign sightings. Tracks, scat, feeding areas, and sounds/calls during mating season. I have seen Black bear outside of Crex Meadows property in the Grantsburg area.
May 21, 2008 Crex Meadows bear encounters changed. It was late in the day around 7pm. Traveling south on East Refuge road, two bears were wandering north.
I was not prepared for this and in the fluster of grabbing the camera, and stopping the truck the two bears ran off the road into the refuge. I pulled up and we could see nothing through the brush. I backed up the truck and parked it, waiting and hoping the bears would come back. Nope.
Pulling up to the spot after a while, I spotted the bears up in a tree!
Picture taking was difficult with the bears being back lit by the sun and no ability (or desire) to move into a better position. One bear peeked out at us from behind the tree. The photographs are of the bear furthest from the trunk.
Talking with the Wildlife Biologist a few years ago at the Crex Meadows Visitor Center, he explained to me another Bear sign that I have seen on many occasions. You may encounter areas where a big wet mark goes across a road. By big I mean a wet area 4-6 feet wide crossing a road where nothing else is wet. Often this is a sign of a wet Black bear, water dripping from its fur as it crosses a road, leaving this sign of its presence.
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Chordata | (chordates) |
| Class | Mammalia | (mammals) |
| Order | Carnivora | (carnivores) |
| Suborder | Caniformia | (caniform carnivores) |
| Family | Ursidae | (bears) |
| Genus | Ursus | (black bear, brown bear, polar bear) |
| Species | americanus | (American Black Bear) |
Black bears are primarily vegetarian, with the balance being insectivore (ants and beetles) and scavanger. Occasionally, a Black bear will hunt for rabbits, deer and other small mammals but this is primarily an opportunistic encounter.