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Ways to Secure Garbage   web  |  pdf

Attract Birds, Not Bears   web  |  pdf

Safely Haze (Scare) a Bear  web  |  pdf

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Why Carry Bear Spray?  web  |  cards

Backcountry Food Storage  web  |  pdf

Outdoors in Grizzly Country   pdf

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Dogs + Bears = Trouble  web |  pdf

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Meet the Black Bear  web  |  pdf

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Created by Real Bear Experts [not A.I.] since 2018

From the BearWise Article Bank

How to be BearWise

What’s on the bear menu? Everything

Bears are attracted to anything that smells; it doesn’t even need to smell good. Garbage, compost piles, dirty diapers, pizza boxes, empty beverage cans...to a hungry black bear, it all smells like something good to eat. Bears are curious and always exploring. If a bear follows its nose to a ...

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The Bear Facts

black bear and cub crossing highway

What bears do in October

October at a Glance: Hyperphagia is in full-swing. Bears may be awake and searching for food up to 20 hours a day. Many bears also look for den sites. Some pregnant females may den up by the end of the month. As days shorten, vehicle collisions rise.    Bears Still ...

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BearWise in the News

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Man, dog injured in encounter with bear in northeastern Minnesota (MN, October 2026)

Man, dog injured in encounter with bear in northeastern Minnesota
October 6, 2026  |  Hometown Source
MN

Tags: Minnesota, October 2026
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Bear sightings continue throughout southern Minnesota (MN, June 2026)

“Bear sightings continue throughout southern Minnesota”

June 26, 2026  |  Hometown Source
Minneapolis, MN

Tags: June 2026, Minnesota
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Bears on the Move: Nine Sightings Reported Across the St. Cloud Area as DNR Urges Residents to Be BearWise (MN, June 2026)

“Bears on the Move: Nine Sightings Reported Across the St. Cloud Area as DNR Urges Residents to Be BearWise”

June 3, 2026  |  KNSI
Saint Cloud, MN

Tags: June 2026, Minnesota
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Wildlife spring safety reminders (MN, June 2026)

June 1, 2026  |  North Oaks News
Minnesota statewide

Tags: June 2026, Minnesota
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Yearling bear sightings in Grand Marais lead DNR to urge securing bird food and attractants (MN, June 2026)

“Yearling bear sightings in Grand Marais lead DNR to urge securing bird food and attractants”

June 1, 2026  |  WTIP
Grand Marais, MN

Tags: June 2026, Minnesota
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News release: Be BearWise this summer while recreating outdoors (MN, May 2026)

“News release: Be BearWise this summer while recreating outdoors”

May 21, 2026  |  MN Department of Natural Resources News Releases
Minnesota statewide

Tags: May 2026, Minnesota
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Not all black bears are black. The American black bear is a species (Ursus americanus); common colors include black, brown and cinnamon. Learn how to tell the difference between black bears and grizzlies.

infographic: How to tell a black bear from a grizzly

BearWise Brief: Meet the American Black Bear

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BearWise Brief:
Meet the American Black Bear

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