US EditionCould black bears call Iowa home again?
- In 2025, state wildlife officials collaborated with authorities in northeastern Iowa counties to develop strategies for handling potential black bear encounters.
- The meetings followed increased black bear sightings because bears from Minnesota and Wisconsin, home to about 16,000 and 24,000 bears respectively, have occasionally wandered into Iowa.
- Several black bears have overwintered in Iowa’s driftless region, which signals a possible step toward an established breeding population, with education on bear behavior emphasized for public safety.
- Iowa recorded eight bear sightings last year, averaging about five annually, and a legislative bill introduced in 2025 aims to regulate black bear hunting and establish penalties for illegal taking.
- These developments suggest black bear presence in Iowa may increase, prompting officials to focus on outreach and management strategies while residents decide on future protections.
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North Iowa Outdoors: Black Bear Sightings on the Rise in Northeast Iowa
Black bears in Iowa? Yep, it’s a thing, and seeing one is likely to become more common. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been meeting with officials from local conservation boards, police departments, sheriff’s offices and dispatchers from counties in northeast Iowa to discuss how to respond when black bears come strolling through later this spring. “Bears emerge in the spring looking for food, generally feeding on the early gr…
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