ST. CLOUD -- For the second day in a row, a black bear cub has created quite a commotion in a southeast st. Cloud neighborhood.  The St. Cloud police officer I spoke with on Wednesday estimated the bear to be about one year old.

Thursday afternoon I had my own personal encounter with the bear.  While out on my daily afternoon walk some neighbors asked if I had seen the bear, which had just been up in the tree in their front yard. They showed me the claw marks the bear left in their tree, very impressive.

I decided to turn around and walk the other way thinking I was walking away from him only to find myself just about 10 feet from him.  I very quickly crossed to the other side of the street, he stared me down for a bit and then took off running.

I decided it was probably best to end my walk and headed for home.

The DNR says it’s normal to be somewhat alarmed if you come face-to-face with a black bear. But the reality is that black bears are rarely aggressive. Actual attacks by black bears are rare.

According to the Minnesota DNR's website, black bears are found mainly in the northern third of the state, but they've been migrating further south in recent years.

The DNR encourages you to report any bear sightings outside of its natural area.  According to their map, there has been a number of bear sightings in the tri-county area, especially along the Mississippi River.

Minnesota DNR
Minnesota DNR
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