Report of gun-toting bear sent wildlife officers scouring through Minnesota wilderness

Bears don’t have thumbs, but that didn’t stop one in Minnesota from arming itself with a handgun recently, state wildlife officials say.

When a report of an “armed bear” came in, wildlife officers from two agencies teamed up to search for the animal.

Daunting as the thought of a pistol-packing predator may be, the bear was likely less interested in bearing arms than it was in finding food, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

A camper in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness in northeastern Minnesota told officials that a bear stole his backpack from a boat landing, and disappeared into the woods. Inside the backpack were “several delicious smelling snacks,” and a handgun.

The camper tried to track down the bear and his pack, but was unsuccessful, according to wildlife officials.

The officers — Conservation Officer Mary Manning, and a U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer - scoured the wilderness and found a “partially shredded pack, numerous empty snacks and the undamaged firearm.”

Black bears, the only bear species in Minnesota, are well-established in the wild, with a statewide population between 12,000 and 15,000, experts estimate.

“Black bears usually try to avoid people, but sometimes come in conflict with humans when they eat crops, destroy apiaries, or break into garbage cans and birdfeeders,” Minnesota DNR says.

In certain parts of the country, backpack theft is common behavior among black bears, particularly those accustomed to human presence, McClatchy News reported. Often bears nab the bags because there’s food inside, but may still take them when there’s not, as they learn to associate them with food regardless.

It has become enough of a problem in North Carolina that officials have recently stepped up efforts to warn campers and hikers, and educate them on proper outdoor etiquette.

“Though bears are naturally afraid of humans, bears habituated to human food can begin to associate human scents with the reward of food. Due to this, bears can become a threat to humans, property, and themselves,” officials said.

This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Report of gun-toting bear sent wildlife officers scouring through Minnesota wilderness."