COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, in collaboration with the University of Dayton’s Gantchoff Lab, has made a significant breakthrough in black bear research by fitting a female black bear with a GPS collar in Ashtabula County, marking the first time such technology has been used on a female bear in the state. The milestone, achieved on Tuesday, June 3, aims to deepen understanding of the species’ expanding range in Ohio.
Black bears, considered state-endangered and absent from Ohio since the mid-1800s, are naturally recolonizing from neighboring populations, with increasing sightings in northeast and southeast Ohio. The captured female, estimated at 5 to 10 years old and weighing 198 pounds, was trapped on private land with landowner permission, collared, and released unharmed. The GPS collar, set to detach after about 18 months, will track her movements, providing data on habitat use, home range, survival rates, and reproductive patterns.
This initiative, part of a broader project to collar 10 to 20 resident bears over the coming years, also monitors a male bear collared in northeast Ohio in July 2024. The research seeks to estimate population trends, assess habitat suitability, and address human-bear conflicts. Most bears sighted in Ohio are young males dispersing from Pennsylvania and West Virginia in search of mates, while resident females, including those with cubs recently confirmed in northeast Ohio, are more likely to establish long-term ranges.
The Division of Wildlife encourages public reports of black bear, gray fox, badger, weasel, and bobcat sightings—complete with photos or videos—via the HuntFish OH app or wildohio.gov. This data supports the division’s mission to conserve wildlife and habitats for sustainable use, with further details available at wildohio.gov and ohiodnr.gov.
