Have You Seen A Black Bear In West Michigan?

This morning on the show, Fish mentioned that he saw something in his backyard in Ada and didn't know what it was.  This got us to talking about the fact that it could have been a coyote.  We had several people text in to confirm that we do have coyotes in West Michigan, but then a few people also mentioned bears.  Right after we mentioned that it could have been a bear, a bunch of people texted that it couldn't have been a bear and that bears in West Michigan were only rumors.

So which one is it?  Do we have bears in West Michigan?  If so, where do you find them?

According to the DNR:

As black bears continue to move into the southern Lower Peninsula, it has become clear they can inhabit a highly fragmented landscape, provided some forested areas exist, especially along riparian zones. Some aspects of human activity contribute to suitability of these areas, including abundant food from row crops, orchards, apiaries, bird feeders and human refuse.

Apparently the black bear population has been on the rise in the Lower Peninsula, but most of the reports are in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula.

Let us know in the comments or in the poll, whether or not you've seen a bear in West Michigan.