UPDATED Wednesday, April 20, 2011 --- 6:40 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- State wildlife officials are reminding homeowners that Wisconsin's bears are waking up -- and they're hungry.

The Department of Natural Resources says feeding bears is illegal but warns the animals will make for bird feeders, grills and garbage cans in search of food.

The agency says people should take down their bird feeders, even during the day and rinse food cans before putting them in the garbage to reduce odors. Garbage cans should be kept in closed buildings, if possible, grills should be kept clean and pet food should be kept inside.

If you spot a bear near your home, wave your arms and make noise to scare it away. If you come across a bear in the woods, back away slowly.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

***NOTE: Many people in the NBC15 viewing area reported bear sightings last year. Those stories are found below:***

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UPDATED Sunday, June 6, 2010 --- 7:30 p.m.

Sunday's sighting occurred in Livingston at the popcorn factory. Thanks to Marissa who sent us the photo:

Click HERE for photo of the bear in Livingston submitted by Marissa.

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UPDATED Saturday, June 5, 2010 --- 1:25 p.m.

Saturday's sightings were in the Township of Vienna (near DeForest) and in the village of Stitzer.

Click HERE for viewer submitted photo from Vicki in the Township of Vienna. You can see the bear sitting in the tree.

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UPDATED Friday, June 4, 2010 at 3:45 p.m.

NOTE: To view new photos of the bears in Verona & Middleton, click on the PHOTOS tab above.

More bear sightings in Dane County; this time south of Madison in Verona.

"180 or 200 pounds. It was my size," stated Mike Kane.

Thursday night, Kane was grilling on his patio outside his kitchen window. When he walked inside with his dinner, his dog darted outside, and sprinted into the yard barking wildly.

"So, I come outside to see what was going on," said Kane. "She was running back and forth right there in my yard."

Mike didn't see anything at first, but as he walked closer to his dog he spotted it.

"The bear was sitting right there on top of my canoe."

After Mike's dog Reilly chased the bear off of the canoe, it climbed a tree. You can see the scrapings on the branch it was lying on.

"By the time I got there the bear had been treed," said David Wood.

Wood is a DNR warden. When he arrived police were holding the bear in the tree with spotlights. After dispersing the crowds, the lights were turned off and the bear wondered away.

"This has been a record year for bear sightings in this area; in southern Wisconsin," added Wood.

And Kane believes it. He's been in Verona for 16 years and this is the first one he's ever seen.

"It was exciting. It guess my thought would be when I was grilling if my dog would have been out would that bear have walked up to my grill? Then it would have been out my kitchen window. That would have been a different story."

Wood says the recent bear sightings in our area are yearling bears that recently left their mother's den and they are out searching for their own breeding territory.

He said young black bears are not aggressive and you should just stay away if you see one.

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UPDATED Friday, June 4, 2010 --- 7:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
UPDATED Thursday, June 3, 2010 --- 10:42 p.m.

Click HERE to submit your bear video and pictures

A bear was sighted Thursday night in Verona. The latest call came around 10:15 p.m. for a bear sighting in the 100 block of Paoli Street. Other sightings had taken place around an hour before.

Dane County Dispatch reports DNR officials and County Sheriff Deputies are out investigating and trying to keep the bear out of residential areas.

Earlier this week, a bear was spotted in Middleton.

The bear was photographed near Bishops Bay Country Club. The photos submitted to NBC15 were taken in the old Fox Bluff neighborhood behind the Holy Wisdom Monastery.

To view these new photos of the bears in Verona & Middleton, click on the PHOTOS tab above.

Here is the Press Release on the Verona Bear Sighting:

Address:
200 Blk Jenna Dr
100 Blk Paoli St
300 Blk N. Main St.

Details:
On June 3, 2010 and June 4, 2010 a black bear was sighted within the City of Verona.

The first sighting was reported on June 3, 2010 at approximately 4:00 a.m. when a resident looked out her window in the 200 Blk of Jenna Dr. and saw a black bear in her backyard at her bird feeder.

The second sighting was reported on June 3, 2010 shortly before 10:26 p.m. when area residents observed the black bear on Nine Mound Rd.. Sgt. Dart of the Verona Police Department located the bear walking on the Military Ridge bike trail in the 100 Blk of Paoli St. The bear climbed a tree and a Warden with the Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene. The Warden identified the bear as an adult male weighing approximately 150lbs. A decision was made to allow the bear to leave naturally as the bear was not posing an immediate threat.

The last sighting occurred on June 4, 2010 at 12:13 a.m. when the bear was observed in the area of St. Andrews Church, 300 Blk N. Main St. The bear was last scene walking into a wooded area near Badger Prairie Park.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Bureau of Wildlife Management has primary responsibility for the management of black bears in Wisconsin and they work cooperatively with the United States Department of Agriculture – Wildlife Services Office to investigate bear activity. The USDA – Wildlife Services Office can be called at 800-433-0663 to report bear activity which includes aggressive bears or damage associated with bear activity. According to a USDA representative, it is unnecessary to report mere bear sightings where the bear isn’t posing a threat to safety or causing damage.

The Verona Police Department asks that any sighting within the City of Verona be reported to them directly so officers can conduct a threat assessment on a case by case basis, 845-7623. Although the presence of a black bear in the area may be considered exciting to some, residents are reminded black bears are wild animals and should not be approached.

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UPDATED Monday, May 24, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.

The neighborhood in Waunakee off Arboretum Street is about as quiet as they come. So when a bear was seen this past weekend, it caused a lot of excitement.

In video shot by a homeowner, you can see the bear climb a playground set to get at a bird-feeder. Here it walks freely as many look on.

Cam Robinson filmed the bear Saturday. At one point it charges him and then stomps its feet to scare him away.

Said Cam Robinson, "I used to work up in northern Minnesota and Canada many years ago. Seeing black bears was not that uncommon to me. I felt a little bit more at ease getting closer to it than what my wife and everyone else did. That's why I got the video, I knew he wasn't going to come over."

"We have an awful lot of bears in Wisconsin," added Timothy Van Deelen. "There's people who live a lot closer to bears than they realize."

Van Deelen is an associate professor of wildlife ecology at the UW. He says this is a yearling bear that recently left its mothers den to find its own territory. It's about a year-and-a-half old and weighs about 140 pounds. If you see it, there's no reason to be afraid; just stay back and give it its space.

Van Deelen also says this is a sighting that will get more common in Dane County, as we see less commercial farming. The fields are growing over which is perfect bear habitat.

"I would have absolutely no reason to have it leave. I think it would be fun to have around and if not fun it would be educational for everyone to see," concluded Robinson.

The bear was seen Monday morning in Waunakee, again. And with the 90-degree temperatures it probably hasn't gone very far. So more sightings are likely.

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UPDATED Monday, May 24, 2010 --- 12:30 p.m.

NBC15 News would like to thank all of our viewers who have submitted photos of bears during the past few weeks.

Click HERE for viewer submitted photos.

NBC15's Chris Papst will have more on the bear in Waunakee Monday night on NBC15 News at 5pm, 6pm and 10pm.

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UPDATED Saturday, May 22, 2010 --- 6:15 p.m.

Callers spotted a bear this afternoon in the Arboretum Dr/Hogan Road area of Waunakee.

Click on the PHOTOS tab above to see photos of the bear submitted to NBC15 by our viewers. The first two photos were taken in the Savannah Village neighborhood of Waunakee.

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UPDATED Friday, May 21, 2010 --- 7:30 a.m.

SPRING GREEN, Wis. (AP) -- State wildlife officials say people are seeing bears all over southwestern Wisconsin.

Since the end of March, sightings have included a sow with two cubs in Sauk County; a single bear in the Town of Clyde in Iowa County; a young boar hit and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 39 north of Portage in Columbia County; several reports of bear in Crawford County and several reports of bears at bird feeders in western Columbia County.

Department of Natural Resources officials say sightings usually increase in May and June when young male bears forced out of breeding habitat in northern Wisconsin move south looking for new habitat.

They most of the bears leave the area after the breeding season, presumably to return north, although many female bears with young remain in the south throughout the summer.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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UPDATED: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 --- 9:30 p.m.
REPORTER: Chris Woodard

Wild Bears are making themselves at home in communities in our area.

Today one family captures the dramatic video as their dog finds herself face-to-face with a bear double her size.

Bears have always been around and this time of year the number of sightings always increase but the DNR says they haven't seen anything like this.

There aren't many things that will get your heart racing in the morning quite like looking out the back window and seeing a bear.

But a Portage family's fascination with seeing the bear quickly turns to fear when their dog steps outside.

Watching their home video you can see how startled the bear actually is to see the dog.

She stands her ground and wins the face off as the bear heads for the woods.

They were tense moments in an encounter that's becoming more common in Southern Wisconsin.

Conservation Warden Paul Nadolski with the DNR says, "This year we have a heck of a lot more bear calls coming in."

Last Friday alone the DNR got calls about four bear sightings near Portage.

The woods and marsh areas around Portage make for a perfect bear habitat but when you're talking about bear sightings in the middle of city neighborhoods it can be a little close for comfort.

Friday one bear made it's way into the city to get at some food in a back yard and stayed there eating until wardens came to scare it off.

Neighbor Robyn O'Rourke says, "At first it was shock but then as I watched it, it was just interesting. I didn't really want him up a bit closer."

Viewers sent us several photos of bear encounters in the Dells, Baraboo and Mauston over the last week.

So far the bears haven't been aggressive according to the DNR.

They say they're usually coming into the city to get at food left outside, greasy patio grills or bird feeders.

According to the DNR if you see a bear the best advice is to wave your arms and make a lot of noise.

They even suggest taking a bell with you if you're walking in the woods.

Just never turn your back and run.

You can also report bear sightings to the DNR.

Their contact information is posted under newslinks.

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Posted Tuesday, May 11, 2010 --- 1:45 p.m.

Press Release from the WI DNR:

SPRING GREEN – Black bear activity continues on the upswing in southwest Wisconsin and a Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist here reminds area residents to report bear sightings to the agency’s Spring Green office.

The southward expansion of Wisconsin’s bear population has motivated researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to initiate a study focused on bear movement at the southern extent of their range. This study, now in its fifth year, tracks bears in the central and western part of the state and the public is encouraged to report bear sightings.

Southwest Wisconsin residents are asked to report bear sightings to DNR wildlife biologist Becky Roth, Spring Green, at 608-588-3432 or email at Rebecca.roth@wisconsin.gov

At Least Five Sightings in April:
Since March 29, when a healthy 300 pound bear was likely hit and killed by a vehicle in northwest Richland County, at least five instances of black bear sightings were reported to Roth.

These included:
• A sow with two cubs in the Leland area of Sauk County.
• A single bear in the Iowa County Town of Clyde.
• A young boar hit and killed by a vehicle at mile marker 91 on Interstate I-39 north of Portage in Columbia County.
• Several reports of bear in Crawford County.
• Several reports of bears at bird feeders in western Columbia County.

June is the breeding season for bears in Wisconsin and “most bear sightings we receive in southern counties occur during late May and June when sub-adult bears, mostly young males, are forced out of breeding territories up north and disperse long distances in search of new habitat. But we’ve already received a number (of sightings) and it’s not even June,” noted DNR biologist Becky Roth, Spring Green.

Roth noted that black bears and people have coexisted for centuries in northern Wisconsin and “there’s no cause for alarm.”

“Black bears are normally very timid and avoid all contact with people. They may cause problems by damaging bird feeders or foraging through unsecured garbage containers and they may return to the same area if food is readily available.”

“So, if possible, keep your garbage, grills, compost, pet foods and bird feeders out of reach if a bear has been reported in the vicinity,” advised Roth.

She added that “although we’ve had a few instances in past years when bears have stayed around southern counties through the summer, most leave the area and presumably return north as the breeding season ends.”

“However, last year we were getting reports of sows with cubs and sows with yearlings which resulted in continued bear sightings throughout the summer. This is because female bears with their young cubs or yearlings are less likely to move long distances over a short time period.”

“The wooded hills, coulees, creeks and river bottoms southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless area provide abundant food and cover for bears as well as potential winter den sites, so it’s possible that wandering bears will find it to their liking and some may decide to stay,” pointed out Ms. Roth.

Living With Bears:
Wildlife biologists note that the best way to avoid trouble with bears around your home is to follow these steps:
• Don’t knowingly feed a bear
• Reduce garbage odors by rinsing food cans before putting them in recycling containers or garbage cans.
• Compost vegetable scraps.
• Keep meat scraps in the freezer until garbage day and garbage cans in a closed building until pick-up.
• Keep pet food inside or don’t feed in the evening.
• Keep barbeque grills and picnic tables clean.

General guidelines for campers include don’t sleep in clothes you wore while cooking, don’t bring food into the tent, don’t dump food scraps by your campsite and make sure all food, scraps and cooking utensils are in critter proof containers.

If a bear is near your home, wave your arms and make noise to scare the bear away. Then back away slowly or go inside and wait for the bear to leave. If the bear found food such as bird feed or garbage one or more times, it will return. When food is no longer available, the visits will stop.

If you encounter a bear while in the woods – stay calm, don’t shoot the bear or approach it. Give it space, walk away and watch from a distance. Do not approach sows with cubs.

If you have bear troubles and are in need of assistance, please call the USDA Wildlife Services 24-hour hotline at 1-800-433-0663.