May 21, 2019 – West Bend, WI – It was April 11, 2019 when DNR warden Bill Mitchell asked for help from the community regarding a reported bear sighting on Decorah Road just west of Silverbrook Drive.
Now, WISN Channel 12 has an update as a black bear has been caught on a security camera in Johnson Creek.
Jim Rubenzer of West Bend was the one who spotted the bear in West Bend. Reached by phone Tuesday night, he said he just turned off the TV and saw the report about the bear on the security camera.
“I don’t think it’s the same one,” Rubenzer said. “But he sure looked like a bear. Once you see one you don’t forget what it looks like.”
Rubenzer said he did a bit more research on the computer after he reported his sighting in April. “It said on the Internet there have been 31 bear sightings in southeastern Wisconsin since March,” he said. “So there are a lot of bear around.”
It’s about 54 miles from West Bend to Johnson Creek.
The person in Johnson Creek who spotted the bear on camera indicated the animal passed through around 3 a.m.
Rubenzer said when he spotted the bear in his yard it was about 3:30 a.m.
“I know he was on my porch and they have a keen sense of smell and I’m sure he was after my 2-gallon container of bird seed,” he said.
After a thorough search of Rubenzer’s property, Mitchell expressed doubt about the sighting…. but he also asked for neighbors to check their security cameras.
Although it’s taken a bit more than a month… another sighting has been reported in Wisconsin.
Bear video courtesy WISN Channel 12.
