Saw this on a taxidermists Facebook Page:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2...e=1&theater

Are there really black bears in Hill Country?
I know that there are SOME in FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR WEST Texas and a good friend/outfitter/guide of mine told us there had been spottings of MT Lions and bears in Hill Country.
BMD, dont hate...just saw it and wanted to show y'all.

Sorry if you can't see pic...don't get how to post....

We have bears on occasion, One was killed in Menard a couple years ago. Ours was also a case of a "threatened landowner" killing the bear in self defense. Mt Lions are fairly common in the hill country. Quite a few bears have shown up on trail cams this year around Dryden and Sheffield which is still not quite FAAAAAR West Texas.

Question. It's OK to shoot them if its in self defense? Are there several bear attacks in Texas? Just asking, I read a local paper last year about bears in Wood County but never seen any sign. Dont wanna run into one in the dark on the way to the stand.

that bear is tiny... i doubt that sucker threatened anyone

Yeah, he's just a wittle guy, must have got after the guy's Pomeranian

it is legal in self defense. but realistically, unless you got between a sow and her cub or came across a wounded bear, the black bears dont want to be anywhere near you.
they are way more skittish than most animals and have a better nose than the deer do.

pretty lame to say that thing was shot in self defense and then have a picture of it pop up on a taxidermists web page. If you or your livestock is being attacked, then by all means shoot it...but don't make it out to be something that it is not. Others may not agree with me but I would love to see bears reestablish themselves to their native range in Texas. A black bear is nothing like a grizzly bear and I think to many people are ignorant to that fact. As for mountain lions in the hill country, they are very sparse and almost everyone that claims to have seen the in the hill country are lying or wrong.

That's pathetic to use the self defense excuse on that tiny of a bear... I've seen east Texas coons that would destroy that cub lol

If you have to shoot a black bear in self defense its because you cornered it, threatened it's cubs and pi$$ed it off.. I hunted most of my life in PA and have encountered MANY black bears. Black bears are very curious animals.. We've had them climb our trees in archery season to see what the heck we were. and I've also witnessed them jumping off the tree at 15' once they found out what we were to get outa dodge. My guess is the little bear in this story probably spotted this hunter and couldn't quite figure it out so he got closer to get a better look and when he did the guy got scared and shot it.

This was posted a while back, thought the rancher got in some trouble for it??

Some workers who were pulling pipe claim to have come across a bear on our ranch in Sutton county. No pics from them or our cameras to prove it though. They swore up and down it was a black bear. who knows

OK
The taxi said that a rancher and his dogs were being "BOTHERED"

If memory serves me right, TPWD confiscated this bear and the shooter was under investigation.

While I have never seen a "whole" Mnt Lion, I did catch the hind quarters abd a 3-4' tail going into the brush one day. I guess I must be wrong, so please explain what has a long, smooth tail that would live in Mason Co, that also has paw prints the size of your hand? I also remember the news having video of one 2-3 years ago in Glen Rose on the stadium track.

We have seen a mt lion here in erath county. And heard it's growl more than once. No mistaken it if you have ever heard one

I understand that as far as bears go, that's a small one. But I'm sure most of you have seen the pictures of the dude that got caught by the juvenile polar bear.

They're much stronger than humans their same size.

Its the monkeys in South Texas that weird me out....

I 2nd bears back in Texas.... Didnt there used to be bears in south east Texas?

IDK why yall are so quick to judge the guy that shot it... maybe he did feel threatened...

I can tell u if I was out in my pasture, walked up on a bear that size and the bear did anything but turn and run the other way, I would feel threatened and put a bullet in its cranium...

Bears can be very dangerous, I dont blame the guy...I'd rather have a dead bear than a mauled/hurt human.