Hello there, bear
Diners at a Marshfield pub encouter a surprise guest outside their window.
MARSHFIELD – Maybe it was looking for an ice-cold drink. Perhaps it was hungry for a Wisconsin Cranberry Salmon salad or a Tree Hugger sandwich.
But a black bear that wandered past the Blue Heron BrewPub in Marshfield on Thursday night caused quite a stir for those inside the restaurant, located at 108 W. Ninth St., and those who read about it on social media.
Jennifer Benson of Wausau and her friend, Amy Ryan, had just ordered their dinners at the BrewPub when they looked out the window and noticed the black bear wandering past.
“He wasn’t in a hurry and just looked like he was on a stroll,” Benson said in an email to a USA TODAY NETWORK Wisconsin editor. She was able to get a couple photos as the surprise guest walked by.
Benson said once other restaurant patrons noticed the bear, it seemed to get spooked and ran down the road.
“He was never threatening or agitated, just walking,” she said.
It didn’t take long for one of Benson’s photos to appear on several Facebook pages and groups, and those who commented were quick to share some lighthearted reasons for the visit.
“Yikes! Must be hungry. … Or wants wine from the pub,” two commenters joked.
“It smells the cheese curds,” said another.
“Hope he hasn’t been drinking,” one woman wrote.
Benson said she and Ryan were eating dinner at the BrewPub before attending a Jerry Schmitt Band concert at the LuCille Tack Center for the Arts in Spencer.
“It was the last thing we expected to see in downtown Marshfield,” she said, “but it definitely made our night more exciting.”
Black bear populations are thriving in Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports. And, sightings are not unheard of within city limits.
In May 2017, DNR officials used a trap to catch and relocate a bear that had been frequenting residential areas on Marshfield’s north side.
That same month, a black bear drew attention in Wisconsin Rapids when it climbed into a tree along a busy roadway. After more than 12 hours in its pine perch, the bear climbed down and left on its own.
A black bear also visited the Aspirus Wausau Hospital campus in April 2016, and eventually wandered into a wooded area.
There are about 28,700 black bears in Wisconsin, according to the DNR website. A total of 12,970 hunters were awarded permits for the 2018 bear hunting season in Wisconsin, which ended in October.
Wisconsin bear hunters harvested 4,159 bears during the 2017 season, or 83.2% of the statewide quota of 5,000 bears. The DNR Bear Advisory Committee established a quota of 4,550 bears for the 2018 season.