When a bear meandered through a Bangor neighborhood a few weeks back, the reaction to that bruin (and the critter’s ultimate demise) caused plenty of cyberspace discussion.

While I’ve got no interest in reopening that tired debate, I did sit down with two of the state’s top bear biologists earlier this week in hopes of helping Mainers learn more about the typically secretive black bear.

Randy Cross, a Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife biologist who supervises the state’s field research on bears, said that many Mainers live under the illusion that bears live only in the deep woods.

In actuality, he said, many of us – even “city dwellers” – live much closer to bears than we’d like to believe.

“We don’t even have to move [to the country] to interact with bears,” Cross said. “This city has been here for a long time and bears have been right here on our doorstep for a long time as well. You’ve never had to travel very far from Bangor to get into a fairly decent bear density population that’s doing very well … so those bears could very easily wander here and have over the years.”

Jennifer Vashon, the DIF&W’s bear study leader, said the goal of those involved in bear management is to avoid interactions between people and bruins.

“What we want to do is to keep bears in the woods, and the best way to keep bears in the woods is to just reduce your attractants,” Vashon said.

Vashon said any number of human-related items can attract bears, including garbage, bird feeders and containers that are ready to be recycled.

Vashon advises folks to avoid taking their recyclables or garbage outside the night before curbside pickup, and says those who still choose to feed birds during peak months for foraging bears – April to July – should move their feeders inside at night.

Getting together with neighbors and talking about potential problems and ways to cooperate is also a key, Vashon said.

“Really, it’s a community-based effort, because if one individual is doing a good job [keeping attractants inside] but their neighbor isn’t, you’re going to continue to have conflicts,” Vashon said. “So we’re not really going to have any change until as a community we recognize that we need to do something and that it’s our responsibility when we live close to bears and other wildlife that we do what we can to minimize conflicts.”

There are some activities that also increase a person’s likelihood of getting a bit closer to a bear than they’d like.

At this time of year, for instance, many Mainers spend time in blueberry barrens or head to their secret raspberry-picking spot.

Chances are good that even if nobody else knows where you find all those raspberries, a bear has beaten you to the bush.

“Their chances of coming into close contact with a bear is fairly good if you’re out berry picking,” Cross said. “In a lot of instances, a bear will recognize that you’re close to it before you realize it and will be able to get out of the way. That’s probably the best situation.”

In order to avoid surprising a bear, Cross says people should hum, whistle or sing a tune.

If a bear does show up at your favorite berry bush, giving it an escape route is key, Cross and Vashon said.

“If you surprise a bear, and it’s cornered, that’s where you have a problem,” Vashon said.

And Cross said it’s important to realize that most of the time, bears want as little to do with you as you do with them.

“A close encounter is definitely a scary experience for the bear as well,” he said. “So as soon as you can, if you know you are close to a bear, you can identify yourself as a human, speak to the bear, and the bear recognizes that [you’re] human [and takes steps to avoid you].”

More on bears …

Preparation for the state’s bait hunt for bears is under way, as hunters and guides are allowed to bait sites for 30 days before the season begins on Aug. 25.

Vashon said the hunt is a key management tool for the DIF&W.

“We’re tasked with trying to manage Maine’s bear population both at a biologically acceptable level as well as the socially acceptable level,” Vashon said. “So what we’re trying to do is basically maintain bears for the future, while minimizing conflicts between bears and people, and still allowing people to enjoy bears either through viewing opportunities or hunting opportunities.”

Vashon said Maine has about 23,000 bears, and the DIF&W management plan calls for an annual harvest of between 15 and 20 percent of those bears by hunters each year.

Cross and Vashon said there are a couple of new developments that bear hunters and trappers may be interested in.

First, in order to better understand the state’s bear herd, chances are good that biologists will be requesting that hunters supply a tooth from the bears they take.

“At this point we’re considering voluntary submission of teeth from bears harvested this season,” Vashon said. “We’re still in the process of determining to what level that will be.”

Cross said getting a large sample of teeth and using them to determine the age of each bear would be a great research tool and would allow biologists to track population trends over subsequent years.

Two other developments: Trappers will now be required to purchase a special permit ($27 for residents, $67 for nonresidents) if they’re trapping bears, and nonresident deer hunters will be required to buy a $40 permit for bears if they hope to shoot a bear during that season.

Cross said that in the past, bear trappers were only accounted for when they actually tagged a bear. The number who tried to trap a bear and were unsuccessful was unknown.

The money raised from the sale of those permits will be earmarked for bear research, according to Cross.

Muskie derby approaches

Up in Fort Kent, residents have embraced a slogan that says a lot about the kind of attitude that prevails in the St. John Valley college town.

People in “The Little Town That Could” are back at it again and are proving that no matter what Mother Nature throws at ’em, they’ll find a way to put a positive spin on things.

Last winter, you may recall, snow was the big concern … so they held a snowplow parade. In the spring, floods ravaged the area, and townsfolk pitched together to get through a tough time.

Now, it’s raining again (as it did through most of July, it seems) and the St. John River is high again.

With the hugely popular Fort Kent International Muskie Derby set to begin Aug. 15 and run through Aug. 17, that high water would seem to be an unwelcome development.

Not so fast.

In true Fort Kent fashion, organizers have chosen to embrace (or at least ignore) the situation and focus on the positive.

“This is an opportune time for anyone that has ever wanted to canoe or take a big boat, any type of boat, onto the St. John and Allagash rivers,” said Darlene Kelly Dumond, one of the derby’s organizers.

Dumond said there are two boat landings in Allagash, one in Fort Kent and one in St. Francis where anglers can launch their crafts.

After that, it’ll be smooth sailing … or motoring.

“They can go all the way up to Glazier Lake,” Dumond said.

Glazier Lake, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border, is a popular muskie-fishing spot, and many tournament anglers spend the entire three days of the derby trolling it.

Dumond’s optimistic report focuses on what’s possible this year – taking larger boats up the St. Francis River to Glazier Lake – but steps neatly around the reality that organizers are dealing with.

Specifically, if you’re trying to get from Fort Kent to Glazier Lake by truck, while towing a boat, you’re in trouble.

As they say in these parts, “You can’t get there from here.”

“The roads are out [due to recent flooding],” Dumond confirmed. “We don’t know how badly they’re damaged yet, if [anglers] will be able to get in, but if not, the water is high enough that they can boat all the way in.”

Dumond saved the best news for last.

Yes, you can get there … and yes, the fish will be waiting. The floodwaters don’t seem to have affected the fishing too much.

“People are catching muskie and we’re all excited,” said Dumond, who reported a 30-pounder had been boated recently.

To register for or get more information on the derby, go to www.fortkent-muskie.com.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

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