This article is from last year, but I’ve seen other reports of black bear sightings in Texas are on the rise. Good to see them making a comeback around the state.

https://www.statesman.com/story/new...errville-texas-hill-country/73996093007/

Another article on sightings.

https://www.chron.com/life/wildlife/article/texas-black-bear-encounters-20002869.php

From TPWD , map of black bear sightings 2000-2020.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/resources/bear_safety/

Cherokee county is not represented , but I know of at least one credible account near Rusk. A resident was watching what he thought
was a hog , until it stood up on two legs and looked him in the eye.

Mo

Wildlife keeps getting pushed out of their homes and environment.

Kinney Connty’s got a few, for sure.

I fish that area a lot and have been told that there are Black Bear in that area.

My boss caught one on camera at his place in Kinney county last year. He’s on the north end just south of the Edward’s county border.

No doubt, my friend growing up had a large family ranch there and the rough terrain and mountains held some wild critters.

Bears have been seen in SE Texas where I live since the 1960's. Not often, but they're here. In 1975 my mom saw a mature bear with 2 cubs run across a dirt road on the Polk/Tyler Co. line (County Line Road). Same thing for large long tail cats.
Why make a report just to have a biologist and other know-it-alls say you didn't see what you saw?

They've been along the Red for decades... same for long tailed lions.....both can migrate a loooooong way when they're motivated to do so.

Back before Lake Conroe was impounded we found bear tracks up at the NE corner (river bottom) of what’s under water now, in the National Forest. As far as Kinney County goes, one of my fishing buddies manages a high-fence ranch up there, southeast of Del Rio. I go up there occasionally with him to help with chores and to cull critters. He says they’ve found bear sign a number of times. They’ve torn down the old house on the ranch and bought a house in Fort Clark Springs. The axis deer population there is amazing. If I wasn’t so addicted to salt water I’d be living up there somewhere……

Don't know if it was ever confirmed or not but I remember hearing of a black bear being hit a car on I 30 around Greenville or Sulpher Springs.

They are not uncommon in Arkansas, even in the SW part of the state. Stands to reason NE Texas would get some border jumpers.

Here we go…

No doubt. My uncle’s son’s sister in law saw a pair of cubs on Bridgeport lake not too long ago. Never been captured on any game cams but she saw them. Heard they were bringing in professionals to knock the population down

Western Val Verde County has some once in a while. Had a feeder torn up badly by one, at a ranch I guided on, about a mile or so before the BP checkpoint east of Comstock and actually saw one crossing 90 about 3/4 of a mile east of Comstock again on 90. Apparently Mexico has quite a few.