Black bears have been spotted in Freeport, Stockton, and now Rockford, Illinois. The bears are migrating from our northern neighbor, Wisconsin. There have not been any black bears in Illinois since 1870. Do you really believe that they decided to come to Illinois on their own? The answer is a resounding NO. Wisconsin Governor Walker and his Republican friends to the north by their tax policies gave the State of Wisconsin a decisive tax advantage over their high tax friends to the south. To further drive residents and businesses out of Illinois, Wisconsin has been secretly forcing black bears south into Illinois.

Mayor Morrissey of Rockford, Illinois stated – “It’s difficult enough to attract residents and businesses to Rockford when you look at the economic policies of this state, and now you cannot even go out at night without the threat of black bears attacking you.” Governor Quinn to his credit did say that if there are any bear attacks in the area, he would consider mobilizing the National Guard. Bruce Rauner, his Republican opponent in this fall’s election, stated that in order to encourage economic development he would recommend tax credits for bear processing plants if they would relocate to northwest Illinois.

For more information provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, go to

Click to access bearpractice.pdf