Mother bear with cubs shot; DNR seeks warrant

A Michigan black bear.
– DNR photo

COLFAX TWP. – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking an arrest warrant for a 27-year-old Zeeland man who allegedly shot a mother black bear who was with her three cubs.

The man, who has a bear hunting permit and was hunting legally, broke the law when he came upon the bear, because it is illegal to kill a mother bear who is with her cubs, according to the DNR.

The mother bear, who was wearing a DNR tracking collar, was shot Sept. 23. Whatever happened to the cubs after their mother was shot is unknown. A resident informed the DNR about the hunter’s alleged crime.

Conservation officers confiscated the bear as evidence.

The DNR is expecting to submit a warrant request Wednesday, Sept. 30, to the Oceana County Prosecutor’s Office. The crime is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 to $2,000; loss of the hunter’s license for four years; and forfeiture of the weapon used to kill the bear.