Black bear meanders through Hudson Sunday

• Black bear near Laurel Avenue and Cudd Circle

This black bear was seen Sunday near Laurel Avenue and Cudd Circle. Photos by Ben Branson

Talk about it

For most people the sight of a bear is something they only experience in a zoo. But that was not the case this last weekend when a black bear was spotted in a neighborhood behind Hudson High School.

According to Police Chief Marty Jensen, the Hudson police began receiving calls about a black bear sighting at 10:35 a.m. Sunday. They then contacted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and were told to let the bear wander back to the woods on its own. Officers followed the bear to make sure that it didn’t cause any trouble.

The bear made its way from behind the high school and ended up in the front yard of the Stow family, who live on the corner of Ninth and Vine streets. According to Julie Stow, her 11-year-old son, Collin, almost ran right into the black bear as he was making his way up their driveway on his bicycle. He stopped in his tracks and stood as still as he could until the bear moved on and ran across Vine toward the cemetery.

Later in the day, the black bear had found its way into the front yard of the Branson family, who live on Laurel Avenue. According to Jane Branson, the black bear came right up to their bird feeder in the front yard and drank from it. After that the bear sat under a tree for a few minutes, which allowed one of the Branson’s children, Ben, to snap some pictures before the bear decided to move on.

Eventually the bear made its way back to where it came from.

According to Wisconsin DNR Warden Supervisor David Hausman, bear sightings are pretty common. Hausman said St. Croix County is not considered an area with a lot of bear habitats but sightings of bears have been on the rise over the last 10 years. He mentioned that bears have been expanding into areas they haven’t been in before because they are adapting to a more urban setting.

Bears are after food when they wander into populated areas. Hausman said that everyone should make sure to keep sources of food, such as garbage or cat and dog food, away from places that bears could get at. He also said that when people see bears, they shouldn’t pressure them in any way – just leave them alone, let them move on by themselves and give them a wide berth so they can make their way out of town on their own.

Tags: local news, outdoors, hudson, area, news, wildlife