TPWD Confirms Rare Black Bear Sightings Across East Texas

(Mix 93-1) Yes, it's true, there have been several black bear sightings in East Texas lately. These sightings have been confirmed by biologists with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

TPWD Confirms Black Bear Sightings

All I can think of now is...great...my wife is going to be on a mission to find one of these bears and say hi to it! While on vacation in the Rocky Mountains or Yellowstone National Park, that is my wife's mission, to at least see a black bear, get its pic, and say hi to it.

We visited Yellowstone two years ago and did not see a bear; however, we were extremely lucky this year when we went. We were able to see a young cub on our final day of driving through the national park.

The traffic came to an extremely slow crawl as we passed by the young black cub on the two-lane road. It was off the side of the road by five feet, just grazing on grass. When you take into account the 8-foot-wide lane, we were about 13 feet from this gorgeous animal.

One of my wife's life goals was accomplished this year!

Black Bears Spotted in East Texas Counties

Once I tell her about the black bears that are roaming through Cherokee, Anderson, Panola, and Rusk Counties, I'm pretty sure she'll want to go on a bear expedition.

It's very normal to see black bears in Texas; although not common, they are native to the Lone Star State. While TPWD is not actively stocking bears in East Texas, their numbers are increasing because neighboring states have established breeding programs.

The bears that are moving through East Texas are typically younger bears who have recently left their mother and are now venturing out on their own.

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Why Killing Black Bears Is Illegal in Texas

Black bears are designated as a threatened species in Texas, so it is illegal to kill, injure, take, possess, capture, or transport a black bear.

You could face a combination of jail time and some hefty fines if you kill a black bear or capture one.

Bears are not normally aggressive, according to the TPWD press release. Their driving factor is their large appetite, which is guided by their excellent sense of smell. They'll rummage through your garbage, eat any outdoor pet food, bird seed, or feed from deer feeders.

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What to Do If You Encounter a Bear

If you happen to come face-to-face, or you're in the vicinity of a bear, remain calm, DO NOT RUN, and DO NOT PLAY DEAD. Keep your eyes on the bear and calmly walk away. Typically, it'll move away on its own. For more bear safety tips, check out BearWise.org.

Report Bear Sightings to TPWD

Now, if you spot a black bear, admire it from a distance and report it to a TPWD biologist or a Texas Game Warden so they can document its location and track its movement.

Now, I've just got to convince my wife we're not going out this weekend for a bear sighting excursion in Cherokee, Panola, Rusk, or Anderson Counties.