A black bear that weighs between 100 and 200 pounds was spotted in the area of Dubuque over the Memorial Day weekend.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources authorities confirmed a black bear sighting reported in southeastern Dubuque late Monday morning, May 25, 2015 according to several media reports in that area. Several neighbors on Julien Dubuque Drive reported seeing the bear.
The size of the bear was estimated by DNR officials, based on tracks left in the yard of a home where the bear was spotted.
Another bear sighting was reported later that day in the same area, and a separate sighting was reported near Mt. Carmel, Iowa.
Similar bear sightings were reported in Iowa and northern Illinois in 2014. A black bear and two cubs were seen near Wadena, Iowa in July 2014; residents also reported multiple sightings of a black bear in Ogle and Jo Daviess counties in Illinois in June 2014.
