Wisconsin Life

- Angela Fitzgerald: It's estimated Wisconsin has 24,000 black bears.

– Jennifer Price Tack: The population is expanding south, but the core bear range is still in the northern half of the state.

- Jennifer Price Tack is a scientist with the Department of Natural Resources.

– Jennifer Price Tack: I specifically work with bear, elk, and wolves.

- On this day, Jen and her team will investigate a bear den near Spooner.

[car door thunks] - Number one objective today is always safety.

So, that's people safety and bear safety.

[click, leaves crackling, bear sound] - She was jaw popping at Trevor when he went in for the injection.

So, she was a pretty awake bear.

- It's early March.

An unusually warm winter is creating a bit more risk.

- We are seeing them more awake this year than we did in the past few years.

- Jen takes the lead with dart gun in hand to immobilize the bear.

- We had a nice line of sight, so we were able to get within six yards or so.

[leaves crackling] [bear exhaling audibly] [tranquilizer gun fires] They're still a little bit more lethargic.

We wouldn't try this, you know, when they were out of torpor.

- Torpor occurs in late winter when bears can be awake, but not fully active.

– Man whispers: Come here, little guy.

[mild distress sounds] Come here, buddy.

All right.

- Jen handles these baby bears with a mother's touch.

– Jen: I think there's something particularly special about this project right now.

I have a seven-and-a-half-month-old.

Seeing the instincts of a mother bear, I can kind of relate to that now, having my own cub at home.

- And she protects these baby bears as if they're her own.

– Jen: Cubs need to go into jackets.

It's really important that they stay warm while we're working with Mom.

I know it's a hard job.

[laughter] We're asking a lot of you today.

[Jen chuckles] - The baby bears also get a checkup.

[cub squeals, huffs] - Jen: We'll get a weight on them.

[cub squeals] - Trevor: 2.55.

– Jen: 2.55 kilograms, okay.

We collect hair samples, and that's really important for us.

[cub screams] And they can analyze and better understand what those bear are eating.

- The screening on Mama Bear is also going well.

- We put the collar on her so that we can then track her over the next several years.

- Her current research involves one of the largest black bear studies in state history.

- We're trying to get a total of a hundred bears over time collared.

Specifically, we're looking at cub survival, litter size, and litter frequency.

[whispering] She's a good size.

– Trevor: Yeah, she's a big girl.

- We'll just keep an eye on her, and then, next year, we'll find her den and survey her again, see how many of those cubs are still around.

[playful melody] - Finding those dens can be the hardest part.

– Matt Ostertag: I heard a faint sound.

It sounded like a rabbit in distress, and it was very close to me.

[high-pitched shrieking] - Matt Ostertag is a Washburn County landowner who first discovered this den.

- I looked around, and about 3 feet away, it was a bear laying there, and what I was hearing had to have been a cub.

- Matt alerted the DNR so they could survey the den.

- There was so much that I had no idea went into bear management, and seeing it firsthand was just phenomenal.

– Jen: It's been fantastic and very encouraging how many people are supportive of this project and are really helping us out.

The whole goal is to help people live better with bears.

It will improve our ability to, you know, sustain healthy, happy bear populations into the future.

[cub squeals] [whispering] Jen: So, this is where we start backing off.

- When it comes to wildlife management in Wisconsin... [whistling] ...Jen will do whatever it takes.

...even if it's headfirst into a bear den.

[bear screeching] - And one of my objectives personally that makes me want to come to work every day is, "Do I feel like I'm making a difference?"

And, in this position, I'm very fortunate that I get to do that.

– Angela: And to survey two dens in one day... [acoustic guitar] ...that's a great day for a bear researcher.

[playful, energetic music] - Jen: I feel like every day is pretty great for a bear researcher.

I have a wonderful job.

I have the best team.

I love this project.

[door thuds] Jen whispering: Thanks, Mama.

Thanks for being a research bear.