How humans of the Adirondacks are still causing trouble for black bears
By Isabella Susino
Editor’s note: These stories are from the Adirondack Explorer’s 27-year archive. Each Thursday we’ll share a group of stories on a favorite Adirondack topic. Use the comments to suggest ideas for future dives into the archive.
Bear encounters of all kinds have been reported on over the years by the Adirondack Explorer, whether nuisance bears, illegal hunting, or feeding that leads bears to become dangerous and ultimately euthanized by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
Between 50 and 60% of bears in New York are in the Adirondacks. The park is their rightful home, so how can we coexist?
Here is a look back at some of our coverage.
A familiar bear
An 11-year-old black bear was killed in 2018 after it stayed at a Saranac Lake Islands Campground site for several hours, despite hazing attempts from a conservation officer. This wasn’t the first time it had been caught trying to steal food from coolers, as the bear had been originally captured near Eighth Lake and relocated to a remote location near Debar Mountain.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
A plea to leave ’em be
This article was dug up from the March/April 2002 edition and urges against the killing of black bears.
A senseless shooting
From the 2018 archive, a man was ticketed by the DEC for shooting a treed bear. The DEC had received a call from a distressed citizen reporting a bear that was in a tree in her front yard. The DEC directed the caller to leave the bear alone, as it would probably leave the area at night. After the call, the resident then called her boyfriend to inform him about the bear. The boyfriend returned home and shot the bear several times with a shotgun at about 12:15 a.m.
Illegally killing bears
In 2018, a Morrisonville man admitted to killing four bears over a bait pile, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The bears included a sow and her two cubs.
An Adirondack symbol
The image of a black bear is used throughout the Adirondack Park, but many see the actual animal as a nuisance. They break into homes, cars, coolers, trashcans, bird feeders, yet residents of the park believe the locality should do everything possible to prevent what the state Department of Environmental Conservation refers to as a “humane euthanization” of the creatures.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
“Why do bears need to die because of human misconduct?” wrote resident Caleb Davis in a letter published in the Hamilton County Express on behalf of a coalition of concerned Long Lakers. “Only we can prevent some dead bears. This park is their rightful home.”
A recent bear family death sparks outrage
In Old Forge, a trio of bears had become frequent and well-known visitors at Nicks Lake Campground. The reason behind their visitation being regular access to food from campers, both accidental and intentional.
Residents recall groups of people who crowded the bears for photographs
After witnessing “aggressive behavior” from the bears and reporting it, the DEC Officer on scene made the decision to put the bears down. While he shot the mother, the cubs scrambled up a tree. When one came down, it too was shot and the second was grazed before running back up the tree.
Only recently was it made-known that the officer waited an hour and a half before he could safely take the final shots on the second cub.
The Adirondack Explorer thanks its advertising partners. Become one of them.
The answer is obvious. We insist in living in their territory/habitat.
We know why bears won’t leave us alone. Same with raccoons and countless other species.