Bear hunting success begins When You pick your Upper Michigan bear hunting guides. Why Michigan? Because black bear hunting is unique as it is located in a very northern part of the country right beside Canada, and the weather is a factor in most guided hunts. Winter months can be very cold and heavy snows may be involved. Summer months are better for hunting as the heat will not be as much of an issue as is the case in southern states.

Guides and outfitters are very knowledgeable in guided black bear hunts as to where the animals are located and the best ways to track them. There's a good selection of companies can help you plan your next guided hunt for this big game animal. Take your time when choosing and be sure that they can meet your particular needs as a hunter.

The black bear occupies most of North America from the Mexican plateau to the Arctic treeline in Alaska and Labrador, so has a very wide-ranging habitat.

As long as they have enough cover from vegetation, the bears can roam up to 150 square miles across the land, in search of food. In the winter, black bears prefer to be in swampy or coniferous forests because there is a greater chance of finding shelter. In the spring, they move towards more deciduous forests. In the late summer and autumn, they will stay closer to pine forests where berry patches can be found.

Despite their name, black bears' fur can range from white, cream, beige, cinnamon, chocolate, brown, smoky-gray and blue-black to black. In fact, cinnamon, brown and black bears can even be born within the same litter of cubs.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Black Bear Management Program maintains a healthy black bear population that provides viewing and hunting opportunities for residents, yet does not create excessive bear problems for people living near bear habitat.

In order to maintain this balance, in 1990 the state was divided into 10 Bear Management units and an area and quota system for bear hunting was introduced. The desired bear population for each unit is determined based on the number of bears the surrounding habitat will support without causing significant problems for local residents. Each hunting season, a harvest quota is set that reflects the desired population goal for each Bear Management Unit. So black bear hunting is completely legal and above-board.