Michigan fishing and hunting rules gain renewed attention after DNR frees black bear from plastic lid entrapment.

Black Bear Found With Lid Around Neck for Two Years Freed by DNR in Hillman

a woman with gloves on a bear lying on the ground — DNR wildlife biologist Angela Kujawa collects data from an immobilized black bear.

HILLMAN, Mich. — Issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on June 17, 2025.

A 2-year-old male black bear spotted near Hillman, Michigan, is free of a plastic lid that had been lodged around its neck for nearly two years. Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife staff successfully tranquilized and removed the object on June 2 after a local landowner alerted them to the bear’s reappearance via trail camera images.

The five-inch-wide plastic lid, similar to those found on 55-gallon bait barrels, had constricted the bear’s neck and left scarring and an abscess. DNR officials believe the animal may have become entangled as a cub.

“The bear appeared otherwise healthy and weighed about 110 pounds,” said Cody Norton, DNR’s bear and small game specialist. “We’ve seen similar situations in other states, which is why container size matters. Openings of a certain diameter can be dangerous to wildlife.”

Michigan Baiting Regulations Designed to Prevent Wildlife Harm

DNR Free Bear from Lid — DNR staffers, from left, Angela Kujawa, Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave work to remove a lid from an immobilized black bear. The bear had gotten its head stuck in one of two holes in the plastic lid.

Michigan allows bear baiting under regulated conditions. Bait containers are only legal on private land and must have openings smaller than 1 inch or larger than 22 inches. The blue plastic lid removed from the Hillman bear had a five-inch opening — a prohibited size under state rules.

“This case is exactly why the regulation exists,” said Norton. “Anything in that mid-range size can trap a bear’s head and become life-threatening if the animal continues to grow.”

The DNR encourages hunters and property owners to crush or recycle large containers such as cheeseball tubs and barrel lids and to secure attractants like livestock feed. The incident supports the messaging behind the BearWise program, a national campaign focused on reducing bear-human conflicts through awareness and proper storage of food and trash.

Trail Cameras Tracked Bear’s Two-Year Ordeal Through Michigan’s Forests

Biologists first identified the bear in 2023 through a trail camera image submitted to the DNR Atlanta Field Office, showing a cub with the blue plastic lid trapped around its neck. Sporadic sightings followed, but the bear repeatedly eluded capture.

In late May, a Hillman resident submitted a new image. With landowner permission, DNR staff deployed a baited enclosure trap. The bear was safely captured, sedated, and the lid was cut away. Wildlife biologist Angela Kujawa, along with Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave, conducted the removal and collected biological data for research purposes.

Aerial footage from a DNR drone later captured the bear re-entering the forest, unencumbered for the first time in two years.

BearWise Awareness Campaign Urges Residents to Take Precautions

Norton emphasized that public awareness is key to preventing future incidents. While Michigan is home to roughly 13,000 black bears, with about 1,700 in the northern Lower Peninsula, unintentional hazards like unsecured feed bins and discarded barrels are becoming more common as bear populations expand.

“Every data point we collect from cases like this helps us better manage human-bear interactions,” Norton said. “But public cooperation is just as essential. Bears follow their noses — if it smells like food, they’ll find it.”

The DNR recommends residents follow BearWise guidelines, including:

Keeping trash in bear-proof containers
Feeding pets indoors
Avoiding bird feeders during bear season
Securing grills and compost bins

More information is available at BearWise.org.

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