10,000 Black Bears Live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

The only time I've ever come in contact with black bears in the Upper Peninsula was at Oswald's Bear Ranch which is located in Newberry.

Michigan is home to roughly 12,000 black bears. About 10,000 black bears live in the Upper Peninsula. Around 2,000 are in the Lower Peninsula.

I have never ever seen any wild bears roaming the woods, streets, trails, local parks, or anything even close to that.

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I was fascinated with Oswald's Bear Ranch because you get what you pay for, to see  lots of bears.

This from oswaldsbearranch.com:

This complex is the largest (bear only) Bear Ranch in the entire United States of America. Since opening to the public in 1997, Oswald's Bear Ranch has grown tremendously both in size and in bears.   Shown here is founder and owner Dean Oswald with one of the large males that he has raised since his rescue as a cub.  With lots of room to roam, these rescued bears are given a chance to continue their lives in natural habitats and comfort.

Plenty of bears to see at Oswald's Bear Ranch, that's for sure. But what about seeing a black bear or even a brown bear out in the wild when you're sight seeing?

My family and I took a trip to the Upper Peninsula about ten years ago. Even though we had a great time in the U.P., I personally wanted to encounter the sighting of a bear.

So if there are 10,000 Black Bears in the Upper Peninsula, where are they all hiding. Do they only come out at night looking for food, because most bears like looking for food in nearby trash cans.

It's not that I want to be up close to a black or brown bear, I just want to tell someone that I actually saw a bear in the Upper Peninsula, and I don't mean at Oswald's Bear Ranch either.

What should I do if I see a bear some day? There are several things you need to know just in case you come across a bear in the Upper Peninsula. Nps.gov can help you out.