TEXAS - Black Bears are rare in Texas but can occasionally be spotted in the state's southwestern counties. While they usually avoid human populations, they have been known to appear at Big Bend National Park and other wildlife refuges and parks throughout West Texas. 
30-40 Black Bears Are Living In The State Of Texas
National Park Services estimates 30-40 black bears are living in the state of Texas. While numbers remain low overall, they have slowly returned over the last decade thanks to government and nature working in tandem: first with Big Bend National Park offering protected habitat where Bears could survive and secondly by legal protection being extended for Black Bears throughout Texas that allowed them to recolonize their native range and return after 50+ year absence.
Big Bend National Wildlife Refuge provides an ideal setting for viewing Black Bears due to its remoteness, lack of development, and abundance of food resources. Black Bears can usually be seen nearing hibernation each fall as they prepare to hibernate during winter.
Black Bears are large mammals that can weigh up to 200 pounds. They are primarily carnivorous but also eat insects, rodents, and plant material. Most active during the daytime, Black Bears spend much of their time foraging for food in open or closed-canopy forests for nuts, fruits, roots, tubers, and seeds, as well as rubbing themselves on rough bark or ground to adjust temperature fluctuations and cooling off in hotter environments.
