The population of black bears in Texas is growing. Sightings of bears in East Texas numbered only 5 in the 1980s, but recently more bears have been seen. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department speculates that most of the bears who have made their way into Texas are young males, disbursed and seeking their own home ranges. When yearling bears are chased away at the age of 18 months or so, the young males may roam hundreds of miles to find a territory away from other male bears. The Texas bears are moving in from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Wildlife officials comment that males are always the first to inhabit a new area, but they are hopeful that females will follow, thus establishing a new breeding population.
To be prepared for increased numbers of bears, the state Parks and Wildlife Department helped form the East Texas Black Bear Task Force, a group composed of private and public entities and landowners, to implement a bear conservation plan. Goals include research and educating people about bears. Bears are protected from hunting in Texas by state law.