Randy Cross

In 2012, Randy Cross enters his 30th year of working with Black Bears for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

A native of Waldo, Maine, Cross graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in Wildlife Ecology, and he joined MDIFW full-time in 1982 to fulfill a boyhood dream of becoming a wildlife biologist. Since then, Cross has become one of the most respected Black Bear biologists in the country.

“This is where I have stayed ever since, blessed to be working the best job in the world, as far as I’m concerned,” Cross says. “Although I’ve learned a lot about bears in my time of working with them, I believe there is still lots more to learn about the bears in Maine. We are continually finding out new Black Bear truths in the ever-changing world we all live in.”

Cross spends most of his winter visiting Black Bear dens across Maine, just as he spends his springs trapping bears in an effort to gather hands-on data. He also spends a good portion of the year aging bear and moose in the MDIFW tooth-aging lab.

Prior to joining MDIFW, Cross worked as a river guide, leading canoe trips in Quebec, Iceland and Mexico, among other places.