Bears

The drop is despite the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reporting record high bear encounters elsewhere in the state.

Bear researchers with the Department of Natural Resources and University of Minnesota Duluth hope to fit more bears with radio collars this winter.

Our favorite retired non-game wildlife biologist stops by each month to discuss Minnesota phenology with our staff phenologist, John Latimer.

Andy Tri, an expert in bear biology, joined the KAXE Morning Show to discuss everything from the population status of bears in Minnesota to wildlife safety tips.

The black bear population in most of the state is steady or slowly increasing, Tri said, after bottoming out at about 12,000 animals in 2013. Thirteen years earlier, the DNR altered hunting regulations to intentionally reduce the population from a peak of 25,000.

a weekly conversation about the news of NE Minnesota

a weekly conversation about the news of NE Minnesota

Andy Tri is the acting bear project leader in the forest wildlife and populations research group with the MN DNR. He joins John and Heidi on the Tuesday…

Andy Tri is a bear biologist with the Minnesota DNR. We caught up with him this morning and talked about dens, cubs, what's happening with bears now, what…

Close to Home visited the North American Bear Center in Ely.