A black bear spotted in Portage on Friday night is evidence that such sightings are on the rise, and state Department of Natural Resources officials are encouraging people to report activity.

From March 29 through the end of April, DNR officials received notice of six black bears in Columbia, Sauk, Richland, Iowa and Crawford counties.

Shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, a young bear was discovered off West Wisconsin Street in the marshy area behind St. John's Church; someone had left food out in the area, said Paul Nadolski, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation warden stationed in Poynette.

Nadolski and Warden Supervisor Dave Holmes said they approached the bear and were within 35 to 40 yards of him before he took off.

"The last we saw him, he was hightailing it," he said.

They said there were four calls about bears in Columbia County alone on Friday; they warned that people should keep food, garbage and other things that attract bears inside. They said bird feeders attract bears, and bears have taken feeders down for people who keep them out.

The bear seen Friday evening probably weighed 175 to 200 pounds, they said - an average size for a 2-year-old.

A young boar was hit and killed by a vehicle at mile marker 91 on Interstate 39 north of Portage on May 2. There also have been several reports of bears at bird feeders in western Columbia County, according to the DNR.

A sow with two cubs was reported in the Leland area of Sauk County.

"Black bears are normally very timid and avoid all contact with people," said DNR wildlife biologist Becky Roth. "They may cause problems by damaging bird feeders or foraging through unsecured garbage containers, and they may return to the same area if food is readily available."

The southward expansion of Wisconsin's bear population has motivated researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to initiate a study focused on bear movement at the southern extent of their range.

The study, now in its fifth year, tracks bears in the central and western parts of the state.

Southern Wisconsin bear activity increases in late May and June, Roth said, when adult male bears force young male bears out of breeding territories up north.

Most bears leave southern Wisconsin when breeding season ends, but there have been instances where bears stick around for an entire summer, Roth said. So the DNR encourages people to keep garbage, grills, compost, pet foods and bird feeders out of reach.

Campers are encouraged not to sleep in clothes worn while cooking and not to bring food into tents. Food scraps should not be dumped near campsites; all food, scraps and cooking utensils should be stored in critter-proof containers.

Roth said anyone who encounters a bear in the woods should stay calm, not approach the bear, give it space, walk away and watch from a distance. She said sows with cubs never should be approached.

Avoid trouble with bears

• Don't knowingly feed a bear.
• Rinse food cans before dis-posing.
• Compost vegetable scraps.
• Freeze meat scraps until garbage day.
• Keep garbage cans indoors until pickup.
• Keep pet food inside or don't feed in the evening.
• Keep grills and picnic tables clean.

To report a bear sighting, contact DNR wildlife biologist Becky Roth at (608) 588-3432 or e-mail Rebecca.roth@wisconsin.gov.