Why are People Seeing So Many Black Bears in Texas Now?

Have you heard that more people are seeing black bears here in Texas?

Granted, I've never seen any here in Tyler or Longview, Texas. Have you?

According to Chron.com, "Since 2000, confirmed black bear sightings in the state have increased sixfold."

SIXFOLD.

It's surprising news because black bears were a target for hunters in years past. And they were hunted so thoroughly that their presence became a rare sighting. But Texas Parks and Wildlife says they are back.

Back in 2000, The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department reported 25 sightings of black bears in Texas, and the majority of those were out west in the Black Gap Region, which is the area where Big Bend National Park is located.

Since then, Chron.com reports the data shows "in 2021, those numbers shot up to 80 confirmed sightings and 154 in 2022."

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If you've seen any here in East Texas, I'd love to hear about it. From what we know, there have been more black bear sightings in the western part of the Texas Hill Country, including Kaufman, Menard, and Kimble counties. Last year, a black bear was spotted in the street in Uvalde, Texas.

FYI, the bear wandering the street of Uvalde, Texas was captured by authorities and taken to an appropriate area.

So, why are we seeing so many more black bears in Texas?

Dana Karelus, a mammologist with TPWD told the Killeen Daily Herald she believes the reason we're seeing more black bears in Texas again may be due to the drought we were experiencing last year. This condition may have prompted black bears to migrate in search of food or water.

Texas Parks and Wildlife asks Texans to report black bear sightings so they can get a better look at the actual numbers of black bears who have returned and/or are returning to the Texas area.

Hey, at least we're not talking about grizzly bears, right?

At this point though, would we be surprised?