Bears in Texas

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Pearl

Pearl

Finder of lost things AND The Boss
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
19,748
Location
North central Texas
So I'm always saying that I'm glad we don't have bears in my area! Plenty of poisonous things, mountain lions, bobcats, and hogs! A friend who lives less than a couple of miles from me said she saw a black bear yesterday evening in her back pasture!! Last summer in Arlington (city between Dallas and Ft. Worth) there were several confirmed black bear sightings. So this evening her son is coming over to set up a couple of game cameras and look for tracks and signs!! Black bears, why not🙄🙄🙄!!
 
We had a black bear roaming the neighborhoods not far from us. The DNR thought it was a juvenile that has recently separated from the mother. There are probably a lot of things out there that we don't know about.
 
Black bears are just cute cuddly animals that love hugs. Black bears also love it when you play with their cubs and always appreciate belly rubs.

None of this is true, but maybe we could tell the liberals in Houston it is in case they make it down there.
 
Had a black bear come up to my bedroom window a couple of times. the windows go almost to the floor and I put nuts out for the squirrels. Turns out that bears like nuts also. I quit but it remembered and kept checking back.
 
There is thousands of wooded acres behind my friend's place! She has word out to some others in the area. There is a 200 acre ranch across from me and a 1500 acre place next to them! They both have game cameras out. I'm going to talk to them! There is a lot of building going on out this way, if there are bears I imagine they are getting pushed out of their territory!
 
Pearl said:
So I'm always saying that I'm glad we don't have bears in my area! Plenty of poisonous things, mountain lions, bobcats, and hogs! A friend who lives less than a couple of miles from me said she saw a black bear yesterday evening in her back pasture!! Last summer in Arlington (city between Dallas and Ft. Worth) there were several confirmed black bear sightings. So this evening her son is coming over to set up a couple of game cameras and look for tracks and signs!! Black bears, why not🙄🙄🙄!!
Click to expand...
Hogs weren't enough, you had to make Porridge? Wanna borrow my 45-70?
 
I occasionally see large cat tracks, only at one place i go. In fact i need to go down that creek in the next couple of weeks. That creek is dangerous without big cats. I'm super careful when i go there.

I haven't seen bear sign anywhere around but I hear about other people seeing them occasionally. Heard someone killed a gator 30miles down river recently. I'll pass on bears and gators...
 
Oh bother.... There are bears around here, but not this close in to my area.. Several places, actually, most places I've lived other than this place have been prime bear habitat.. About the only predator I haven't been around is gators..

BE SURE.. To ..bear proof.. your property.. Take in bird feeders, pet food, close barn doors, and all other outbuildings securely.. Motion lights on buildings and around fruit trees, garden, etc..

If you aren't sure you have bears, and NEED to be sure what is about.. Set a trail cam as far away from your buildings etc as possible.. Bait the trail cam with a small bird seed feeder about 6' off the ground, also put out a small chunk of beef suit 6' high, and 1, only one hand full of bird seed on the ground under the birdfeeder.. This set up will attract a bear, but somewhat minimize non target animals for the camera.. Also set all this up where you can look it over with binoculars periodically as it is in place.. You will definitely know it has been visited by a bear when you see it all tore to smithereens rather than raccoon or other animals...

Most places I lived with bears, the standard management system for nuisance animals was the 3-S control method.. That is shoot, shovel, silence...
I wish you luck as I wouldn't wish bears on anyone..
 
Tim Horton said:
Oh bother.... There are bears around here, but not this close in to my area.. Several places, actually, most places I've lived other than this place have been prime bear habitat.. About the only predator I haven't been around is gators..

BE SURE.. To ..bear proof.. your property.. Take in bird feeders, pet food, close barn doors, and all other outbuildings securely.. Motion lights on buildings and around fruit trees, garden, etc..

If you aren't sure you have bears, and NEED to be sure what is about.. Set a trail cam as far away from your buildings etc as possible.. Bait the trail cam with a small bird seed feeder about 6' off the ground, also put out a small chunk of beef suit 6' high, and 1, only one hand full of bird seed on the ground under the birdfeeder.. This set up will attract a bear, but somewhat minimize non target animals for the camera.. Also set all this up where you can look it over with binoculars periodically as it is in place.. You will definitely know it has been visited by a bear when you see it all tore to smithereens rather than raccoon or other animals...

Most places I lived with bears, the standard management system for nuisance animals was the 3-S control method.. That is shoot, shovel, silence...
I wish you luck as I wouldn't wish bears on anyone..
Click to expand...
We have plenty of bears in NH. Between us and our neighbors we have hundreds of acres of woods. I have scared-up bears (boy can they run). But they leave big, smelly piles of poo on my jeep trails. Now moose... they have stalked me during rut. I'd much rather meet a bear in the woods than a bull moose.
 
Where I live there are 😘 black bears - 😘 wolves - 😘 foxes
but thats ok so far they did no damage anywhere

I am sure nobody will believe me but....I did travel in USA
(I think I did talk about it somewhere) I know everybody said I was stupid to do it
I did hitchiking travel in USA for fun only with a very tiny tent and sleeping bag in a backpack for 3 months about. I was not using everywhere the tent all the time ...so once it was starting to be late and when it was around 6-7 pm I was stopping to 👍 on roads or Highways

So that time was starting to be too dark to do anything ..I walked I found a spot in field by woods
Put my big bag on ground and I slipped myself in my sleeping bag. I was sleeping right ...then later maybe it was early morning I was sniffed by a mama boar and I saw boar babies doing noises running here and there ...I did not move ...and after minutes they left trotting in the woods ...I was so relieved ...but I did not really knew what they were.. that is a trucker the day I got a lift with who told me they are boars ...Its still very much in my mind ..you cannot forget something like that :oops::p
 
there were lots of bear in big thicket..i hear the population has increased a bunch...also down around big bend too.

did you know jaguars are a native cat to texas? jaguars now live in the u.s. again and its enough they are repopulating the areas they use to be in...use to be jaguarundi too in texas.
 
elkhound said:
there were lots of bear in big thicket..i hear the population has increased a bunch...also down around big bend too.

did you know jaguars are a native cat to texas? jaguars now live in the u.s. again and its enough they are repopulating the areas they use to be in...use to be jaguarundi too in texas.
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Yes, I remember someone telling me that black panthers are actually jaguars! There are so many things out there you don't see!
 
I have seen short haired smooth sleek black big cats AND a very heavy larger rear leg longer haired version that is lightly gray spotted in the areas of Eastern Alabama to Western Tennessee, Both are very long jumpers and can move like a feather in the wind.

There are a few bears in those areas but not many, a very high population of the reintroduced by idiots Coyote and Wild hogs.
 
Ekatarina... Be VERY, VERY careful.. The North American north east has a hybrid of wolf and coyote, the coywolf that is a VERY dangerous predator.. At least one person confirmed killed by the hybrid.. At least there aren't grizzly until you get to the north west.. Twice I have been the width of the big barn from a grizzly, luckily once on the no cab tractor, but once on foot and empty handed... At least both black bear and cougar consider wild hog a food source..
== ==
As the cougar goes, there can be a black coated variation occasionally.. What is known as the ..Florida Panther.. is an obvious cougar variation to the trained eye.. Unfortunately I don't have a ..trained eye.. for that.. There is a jaguar variation in Mexico that seems to have expanded its range quite a ways north over a number of years now.. Not sure how this cat relates to any South American panther or cougar.. The only cougar I was forced to ..deal with.. in the far north was too much over 6'6" nose to tail to be comfortable remembering the encounter.. When it roared both I and the dog wet a little...

Also like said.. I'd rather deal with most anything rather than a cow moose... Enough said..

There are so many things out there you don't see.. Ain't that the truth..
Hence the saying.. The farther north you go the more things that can eat your horse and you.. This according to my Grandpa Gilbert..
 
Pearl said:
So I'm always saying that I'm glad we don't have bears in my area! Plenty of poisonous things, mountain lions, bobcats, and hogs! A friend who lives less than a couple of miles from me said she saw a black bear yesterday evening in her back pasture!! Last summer in Arlington (city between Dallas and Ft. Worth) there were several confirmed black bear sightings. So this evening her son is coming over to set up a couple of game cameras and look for tracks and signs!! Black bears, why not🙄🙄🙄!!
Click to expand...
We have not only Black bears but Grizzlies. In fact our FWP (Fish, Wildlife, and Parks) has big signs all over the place to alert tourists that Montana is Grizzly country so hike and camp wisely. In other words, carry a big gun and bear spray for seasoning. :D
 
Bear tracks look like a small plate with claws to the size of a frying pan with BIG claws.

Pretty easy to tell when you see one what you have.

I saw quite a few when we used to go to the Smokies on the weekends.

There was one in particular that was always around the Chimneys Campground, A momma bear they called Old Baldy because she was badly burned once and had bald spots, she would have cubs and you had better keep your distance.

She would come down the trail from the overlook and when you saw her coming it was best to head for the parking lot and let her search the picnic spot for anything to eat.
 
Tim Horton said:
Ekatarina... Be VERY, VERY careful.. The North American north east has a hybrid of wolf and coyote, the coywolf that is a VERY dangerous predator.. At least one person confirmed killed by the hybrid.. At least there aren't grizzly until you get to the north west.. Twice I have been the width of the big barn from a grizzly, luckily once on the no cab tractor, but once on foot and empty handed... At least both black bear and cougar consider wild hog a food source..
== ==
As the cougar goes, there can be a black coated variation occasionally.. What is known as the ..Florida Panther.. is an obvious cougar variation to the trained eye.. Unfortunately I don't have a ..trained eye.. for that.. There is a jaguar variation in Mexico that seems to have expanded its range quite a ways north over a number of years now.. Not sure how this cat relates to any South American panther or cougar.. The only cougar I was forced to ..deal with.. in the far north was too much over 6'6" nose to tail to be comfortable remembering the encounter.. When it roared both I and the dog wet a little...

Also like said.. I'd rather deal with most anything rather than a cow moose... Enough said..

There are so many things out there you don't see.. Ain't that the truth..
Hence the saying.. The farther north you go the more things that can eat your horse and you.. This according to my Grandpa Gilbert..
Click to expand...

I met one in Summer few years ago 1 Timber wolf alone at my place while I was having a nap on my bed camp late afternoon under my huge cedar tree
When I started to wake up it was staring standing calm /sitting at about 10 to 12 feet from me
I stayed on my bed camp immobile just looking at him/her ..I think it was a male
he was as big as my Great Dane is : 200 lbs 36 inches at shoulder

I did not move until he finally gone back in woods..
I do encounters at my place since I live in their home
(in the woods in dead end country back road)
I never did see again ...hope he is fine ...or hope I will see again.:(


I know the difference between a coyote or coywolf
and they dont howl the same way than wolf

I am lucky I never had trouble with wildlife at my place
Even there are some healthy red fox I see occasionally

Edit: Coyotes gets on my nerve and I hate their cry songs
I can hear some every 2 years about late evening or at night
when you sleep good :rolleyes:😤


:)
 
Last edited:
1722448402907.png
 
We have a lot of bears around us here. Mostly black bears but I did see one grizzly down by the pump house a few years ago. Occasionally we'll see a bear in our back yard and around the chicken coop. They've never caused us any problems and we like seeing then around. They like swimming in our water tanks too. We also have mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, fox, bobcat, badgers, etc. There's a red fox that likes coming up on the porch to eat some dog food. During winter we see fox and coyote tracks on the rear deck and around the chicken run. Never had a problem. All these years and we only lost one newborn calf to coyotes. It was a hard winter, they need to make a living too.
 
Ekatarina said:
I met one in Summer few years ago 1 Timber wolf alone at my place while I was having a nap on my bed camp late afternoon under my huge cedar tree
When I started to wake up it was staring standing calm /sitting at about 10 to 12 feet from me
I stayed on my bed camp immobile just looking at him/her ..I think it was a male
he was as big as my Great Dane is : 200 lbs 36 inches at shoulder

I did not move until he finally gone back in woods..
I do encounters at my place since I live in their home
(in the woods in dead end country back road)
I never did see again ...hope he is fine ...or hope I will see again.:(


I know the difference between a coyote or coywolf
and they dont howl the same way than wolf

I am lucky I never had trouble with wildlife at my place
Even there are some healthy red fox I see occasionally

Edit: Coyotes gets on my nerve and I hate their cry songs
I can hear some every 2 years about late evening or at night
when you sleep good :rolleyes:😤


:)
Click to expand...
The wolf was looking a lot like this one
1722450455144.png
 
here is a young one, at the top of the hill is my driveway you have to zoom in fairly hard to see the young bear.
048.jpg
 
more "texas north" bear stories.
One evening, getting into fall, I was gathering firewood, up on the ridge west of my buildings 'bout a 1/4 mile I had a small tractor (jacobsen G4x4 +) and my forwarder trailer I found a bunch of deadstandin/ fresh fallen 4-7" ish buck a bunch to length and started to load the trailer, mostly done and getting dark, I feel eye on me, can't smell anything, so I keep loading, still eyes. I decide to slip a medium ax in my belt, thinking buck deer or something. finish loading start down the trail , its kind of windy , Come around a corner and start to drop down, rounding a corner , I can see something on the trail about 100 ft ahead, but the lights haven't got there yet, the shape moves off into the bush on my left, and it is moving fairly quick now a bit of twigg snapping etc. light finally hit where the shape was,steaming bear scat on the very middle of the trail, never even though of a bear, but he wasn't surprized and thats when they are dangerous, or if you have bear bells, that seems to irritate them . I went back to the yard, close the gate and went back to the house, the wood got to stay on the trailer..
 
Tirediron said:
more "texas north" bear stories.
One evening, getting into fall, I was gathering firewood, up on the ridge west of my buildings 'bout a 1/4 mile I had a small tractor (jacobsen G4x4 +) and my forwarder trailer I found a bunch of deadstandin/ fresh fallen 4-7" ish buck a bunch to length and started to load the trailer, mostly done and getting dark, I feel eye on me, can't smell anything, so I keep loading, still eyes. I decide to slip a medium ax in my belt, thinking buck deer or something. finish loading start down the trail , its kind of windy , Come around a corner and start to drop down, rounding a corner , I can see something on the trail about 100 ft ahead, but the lights haven't got there yet, the shape moves off into the bush on my left, and it is moving fairly quick now a bit of twigg snapping etc. light finally hit where the shape was,steaming bear scat on the very middle of the trail, never even though of a bear, but he wasn't surprized and thats when they are dangerous, or if you have bear bells, that seems to irritate them . I went back to the yard, close the gate and went back to the house, the wood got to stay on the trailer..
Click to expand...
Keep them up there!!😉💗
 
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