“And that’s the bear that bit me,” Dennis said, leaning in to show me a photo on his phone of a curious-looking bear perched in a tree.

We were having dinner with one of our longtime guests, who’s been coming up to Vermilion for more than 30 years. The conversation drifted to the good old days—and eventually to the bears at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary.

Tom always says those visits were a highlight of his childhood. Back then, the sanctuary felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. Vince himself—a man who often wore bandages on his arms to cover scratches from his bears—lived in a little trailer in the woods. It even had metal bars on the windows to keep the bears from trying to break in.

The stories I’ve heard over the years, from both Tom and guests, are equal parts fascinating and a little unbelievable. You’d drive in with your family, stay in the car at first, and watch as bears circled outside—sometimes even climbing onto the roof of your car. When you felt brave enough, you’d follow the lead of others and step out to walk among the bears. Vince would casually say things like, “You can pet this one, he’s nice. But don’t pet that one.”

Tom swears that once, a woman had a Hershey bar in her pocket and ended up getting nipped by a bear—which, according to him, was the end of guests walking around freely with them. (It’s his favorite story to tell, though I can’t vouch for how true it really is.)

But Dennis’ story gives it weight. He remembers standing there, minding his own business, when a curious bear walked up and bit him in the calf—hard enough to break the skin. With his young son by his side, Dennis had a moment of clarity: What are we doing? We need to get out of here.

That reality check is why things are different today. After Vince’s passing in 2000, the sanctuary was taken over by the American Bear Association, which has transformed it into something safer and more sustainable—for both people and bears. Today, guests are brought by bus to a large viewing deck, where you can safely watch dozens of wild black bears in their natural habitat as they come in to feed.

It’s still magical—just in a much safer way. I always tell our resort guests that it’s one of my favorite things to do every summer. I love that it connects back to Tom’s childhood and to the memories of so many of our longtime guests—while also giving us a safe way to pass that tradition on to our kids.

And of course, a word of caution: black bears are wild animals. Feeding or approaching them outside of a sanctuary setting is dangerous—for you and for the bears. Sanctuaries like Vince Shute’s exist so that people can admire these incredible animals safely, without creating bad habits or putting anyone at risk.