ODNR Tracking Ohio Bear Population

Columbus, OH- For the first time in Ohio a female black bear has been fitted with a GPS collar.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources along with the University of Dayton’s Gantchoff Lab, recently collared a female bear in Ashtabula County. The bear is around 5-10 years old and was captured on private land and was released unharmed in the same location.

The project hopes to estimate Ohio’s black bear population, trajectories, habitat suitability and factors impacting human-bear conflicts.

In addition to the female bear collared this month, the project is monitoring the movements of a male bear collared in Northeast Ohio in July 2024.

Black bears are rare in Ohio and are considered a state-endangered species, but in the last few decades they have been recolonizing the state from healthy populations in bordering areas.

Reports of the bear are increasing in Northeast and Southeast Ohio.