Black Bear In Texas?
The Black Bear appears harmless to most, because of its soft fur look and carefree attention for humans. The bears can grow as big as 6 foot in length and 3.5 feet in height, with a weight range from 200 – 350 pounds. Interestingly enough, the Black Bear can be found in Texas. In west Texas, the Mexican Black Bear and the New Mexico Black Bear are encountered from time to time, while in east Texas the Louisiana Black Bear hasn’t been spotted in many years, although it was once a common habitat. The Black Bear in Texas is a scarce animal and the continuing existence of it is threatened by a thinning population.
Since the Black Bear is endangered, we cannot hunt them. Contrarily, bears can hunt us, although they usually only attack when they are spooked, cornered or feel threatened. Even though the Black Bear is not known to be seriously aggressive, like the Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear and Polar Bear, they do pose a degree of danger to us as we encounter them in the wild. Like any animal, there are certain situations and environments that are precursors to defend for survival mode of action, such as a mother guarding for the safety of her cubs or even an injured/trapped bear. These types of situations are rare, but you should always be cautious when in a bear habitat, especially if you see one.
As an avid hunter in New Mexico, I make several trips each year to hunt elk, deer, and antelope. Since it is a habitat for bear, I carry a .44 magnum pistol that holsters on my waste, just in case I find trouble with a bear. Of course, I admire the animals and would only fire on one in a last resort situation where I’m sure my life was endangered, but it pays to be careful with bears. A big part of keeping distance between humans and bears is the proper containment of food items, which are easily sensed by the bears’ keen sense of smell. When camping in bear country I prefer to keep canned food with me rather than plastic packaged food, because it is known that bears’ sense of smell is powerful enough to sense through the wrappers. I also store the food a good 50 yards from camp, a safe distance from where I’m sleeping. Make sure there is a proper place of disposal for trash that is particularly bear proof and a good distance from camp. The last thing you want is to return to camp with bears rummaging through your things. If you do happen to encounter a bear, do not provoke it in anyway.
Although, the Black Bear is not commonly found in Texas, the habitat does exist in several parts for the Black Bear survive. You should always be mindful of these areas, east and mostly west Texas, for the presence of Black Bears and what to do to prevent dangerous situations. Remember, the endangered animal is not usually aggressive, but you should always be cautious.
This reminds me of a joke I heard from a guy who spends a lot of time camping in Alaska. “How can you tell the difference between Grizzly Bear Crap and Black Bear Crap? Grizzly bear crap has bells and whistles in it.” For those of you who don’t understand this joke. While in the outdoors in bear country a lot of people wear bells and occasionally blow a whistle so they don’t stumble upon a bear and spook them. The idea is to continuously make noise so they know your coming and hopefully move out of the way.
