Bears in Texas!

[jmack]

We've had a few run-ins with black bears in NE Texas the last couple of years, and there's also been a few caught on game cameras in the surrounding counties. They've been reported to the local Game Wardens, and a few people have gone so far as to contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department about them. Everyone I know of has gotten the same response, "There are no wild bears in our area." TPWD even went so far as to hold a conference in Lamar county about 3 years ago to assure land owners that there were absolutely no bears here. WELL... Yesterday I was presented with a new guidebook published by TPWD which stated that they had transplanted over 300 black bears in the past 3 years to NE Texas counties of Fannin, Lamar, Red River, and Bowie. The manual also showed thriving bear populations in extereme southern Texas, and also in SW Texas towards Midland/Odessa. As of now, the SE and southern populations are state protected, and the NE populations are state and federally protected. It went on to say that all tranplant areas are expected to be huntable within 10 years!

[Izzy]

Congrats, its hard to call country wild without bears.

[Gaff]

jmack i cant tell, are you happy about this or upset?
i dont want to highjack your thread but i have a similar story about mt. lions in new york. the DEC says they are not around here. i know of at least 15 people who have seen them. and even was told by some people in Berlin NY that the DEC stocked 6 back a few years ago, and are keepin quite about it!
a friend of mine went to a few farms in washington county last week and asked for permission to hunt coyotes. 2 differant farmers within about 5 miles of each other said that theres a mt. lion with a collar runnin around, and shoot it, and throw the collar in the river!

so i dont put much faith in anything the DEC says!!

jamie

[longstick]

thers been bears in SE Texas for at least 35 yrs I know of,thats when I saw my first

[Bonebuster]

What would motivate a state govt. to hold a meeting to announce that there are no bears, all the while they are transplanting them?

They must be trying to build a trusting relationship with the residents.  

Same kind of thing Michigan has done in regards to wolves.

[arraflipper]

Buster you said it.  It seems most anyone who is in the government want to keep us in the dark.  When I grew up it was called a lie, when you did that.  Then they wonder why you don't trust them.  I am afraid the people in government just get more corrupt as time goes on.

Jim

[hunt it]

They did't want the illegals to find out in advance! Now if you guys just start leaving shopping bags full a donuts hanging everywhere the illegals will grab em and carry them north! Instant bear bait running everywhere.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Bears in Tejas.... How kool is that... I know the F&W yes there isn't...heck that's just like Jersey F&G saying no bears in New Jersey... If this is true... Congrats... I hope it is..

[Steertalker]

Bears(Mexican Black Bears) are very common now in extreme SW Texas in the Big Bend country.  Occassionally they range as far north as Fort Stockton, Ozona and Sonora.  I have a friend that took a picture of a 400 lb black bear under his deer feeder at Pandale if you know where that is.  Wish I had saved the picture.  I know 400 lbs is a big bear but I guarantee he was every bit of that if not more.

Oh BTW.....It wouldn't surprise me that the game wardens would deny any bears.  Grizzlies have been being spotted in Colorado for the last 10 yrs, at least, but ask any game warden and he'll deny there are any.  My elk hunting guide has spotted them in his area which is in SW Colorado.

Brett

[jmack]

I was mistaken in my original post. The publication was not produced by Texas Parks and Wildlife. The book is published by the Black Bear Conservation Committee, and is titled - "Black Bear Management Handbook for Louisiana, Mississippi, Southern Arkansas, and East Texas. I was first shown the book by my Father-in-Law, and I only got to thuimb through it briefly. I obtained my own copy today, and after thumbing through it a bit more, some of the information I posted earlier may not be accurate as to populations and hunting possibilites. That information was given to me by my FIL on our way to trout fishing. There is a pamphlet that I was given with the book that IS being published by TPWD regaurding the bears. I think this is where my FIL got his information as far as population areas go. I apologize for any confusion i may have caused with my initial excitement. Here is a link to the pdf version of the TPWD pamphlet -

 http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_w7000_1428.pdf

[beaver#1]

hey, jmack, i saw alot of pictures of bear from your area when i was working there for beaver control. but i never got to see one myself. maybe next year when i am back up there