Gerry Maciok from Republic, Mich., was surprised when he discovered the black bear he shot with bow and arrow in Marquette County on Oct. 11, 2023 was from Wisconsin. A small circular tag on the back of the bear’s ear contained wording that stated, “Call 1-608-935-1940 before consuming; WI DNR.”
When Maciok called the telephone number he found out that the male bear he shot had been tagged as a yearling (one year old) during January of 2021 while in a den with its mother in the northwest corner of Marathon County not far from Wausau.
“The bear traveled approximately 180 miles to where I harvested the bear in Marquette County,” Maciok wrote in an email.