The majority of the state's bears are in the U.P.
HESPERIA (AP) -- Biologists are stepping up efforts to trace the movements of black bears that are migrating into southern Michigan.
The Upper Peninsula is still home to 80 percent or more of the state's bears and 95 percent of the others live in the northern Lower Peninsula.
But the Department of Natural Resources and Environment says sightings are picking up farther south.
Bear program specialist Adam Bump tells The Grand Rapids Press that Michigan's bear population has risen for the past two decades and is estimated at 9,000 to 11,000.
The Ludington Daily News reports that state wildlife biologists have been inspecting den areas to learn more about routes the bears are taking. Last week, a team fitted a 297-pound male bear with a GPS collar and ear tags in Oceana County.
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