Elk, bears invade region

PORTAGE — All of a sudden, it seems, Columbia County has become a haven for unfamiliar wildlife.

In mid-July, there were several reports of bull elk in rural areas of northern Columbia and southern Marquette counties. Someone reported seeing three of the animals at a time in the town of Fort Winnebago...

Wow! We got three months worth of hamburger from one whitetail doe last year. How much meat can you get off a bull elk?

As recently as the first weekend in August, a young bear was sighted in and around Portage.

No sightings of either the elk or the bear have been reported since the initial reports, Kehrli said.

But don't be surprised, she said, if there are more such sightings in the future, however, as wildlife that is not considered indigenous to Columbia County, nor to areas populated with humans, begins showing up more often.

There's one key reason for that, Kehrli said: food.

Don't feed the bears, people. And keep those small dogs inside, too.