Yes, black bears are currently present in Texas, reflecting a slow but steady recovery for the species after decades of near-absence. These large mammals are protected under state law, which prohibits hunting, trapping, or harming them throughout Texas. Their return from bordering regions marks a successful conservation narrative. The growing presence of these bears means Texans are increasingly sharing their landscape with a native animal that was once considered extirpated.
Current Presence and Distribution
The most established black bear populations are found in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas, particularly within the mountain ranges like the Chisos, Davis, and Guadalupe Mountains. This population is primarily composed of the Mexican Black Bear subspecies, which naturally recolonized the area by crossing the border from viable populations in Mexico. The Trans-Pecos mountains provide the necessary rugged terrain, cover, and forage to support a small but reproducing community.
Sightings are also increasing in East Texas, where bears are dispersing from thriving populations in neighboring states such as Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. These bears are typically transient young males that roam vast distances to establish new territories. The abundant habitat in the Piney Woods offers suitable conditions, leading to a rise in observations across the eastern counties.
Less common, but still occurring, are transient sightings in the South Texas brush country, including areas near the Rio Grande, such as Laredo. These occurrences often involve dispersing individuals moving through the dense habitat along the international border.
Historical Decline and Resurgence
Black bears were once distributed across most of Texas until a combination of factors led to their near-total disappearance. Unregulated hunting, driven by market demands and a lack of protective laws, severely reduced their numbers throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This direct persecution, coupled with widespread habitat loss and fragmentation from agricultural and timber expansion, pushed the species to the brink of local extinction.
By the 1950s, the species was considered extirpated from Texas, meaning no breeding populations remained within the state’s borders. The subsequent recovery is a testament to natural processes, primarily driven by bears immigrating from established populations outside of Texas. In the Trans-Pecos, bears from the mountains of northern Mexico began to cross the Rio Grande, establishing the first modern breeding population in Big Bend National Park by the 1990s.
This natural recolonization was supported by legislative action, which provided necessary protection for the returning animals. The species was initially listed as endangered in 1988, which helped establish a protective precedent. Conservation efforts and the enforcement of laws prohibiting the killing of bears allowed these small, re-emerging populations to slowly gain a foothold. The success led to the species being downlisted to threatened status in 1996.
Ensuring Safe Coexistence
As black bears expand their range, learning proper behavior in bear country becomes necessary for both human safety and the bear’s survival. The single most important action is to secure all potential food attractants, as bears have an incredible sense of smell and are opportunistic foragers. Securing garbage in bear-resistant containers or storing it indoors until collection day is an effective preventative measure.
Leaving pet food outside or failing to clean barbecue grills can quickly habituate a bear to human areas, which is detrimental to the animal. A bear that consistently finds food near homes begins to lose its natural wariness of people, a situation that often results in the bear needing to be removed or euthanized. This is why wildlife officials emphasize that a “fed bear is a dead bear.”
When hiking or camping in known bear areas, making noise is an important way to avoid surprising an animal at close range. Yelling “Hey bear!” or talking loudly while hiking alerts the bear to a human presence, typically causing it to move away before an encounter occurs. Campers should store food and scented items away from sleeping areas, preferably by hanging them from a tall tree limb or storing them in a locked vehicle.
If a confrontation does occur, remain calm and avoid running, which can trigger a chase response. Standing one’s ground and raising the arms or a jacket overhead makes a person appear larger, while yelling aggressively can help scare the bear away. In the rare event of a physical attack, fighting back aggressively with any available object is the appropriate response.