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Ohio Bears

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
49,360
288
Appalachia
Here's a fairly well documented bear from central Washington County. Not the Wayne, but in one of our more densely populated urban areas. This is the one animal I still don't have on my own cams, but I'm hoping it'll happen someday. This bear was seen within a 1/2 of my back door this summer and the daylight pic is about halfway between my house and our farm (📸 credit to one of my neighbors) and the nighttime pic was shared on our local "What's Happening" page on FB. Pics are in the same general vicinity.

Remember when the ODNR denied there were black bears in Ohio? 😂 Or was that even a real thing? 🤷

Whatever the case, Ohio certainly has a growing bear population in 2024 and I think it's cool.

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Sgt Fury

Sgt. Spellchecker
Here's a fairly well documented bear from central Washington County. Not the Wayne, but in one of our more densely populated urban areas. This is the one animal I still don't have on my own cams, but I'm hoping it'll happen someday. This bear was seen within a 1/2 of my back door this summer and the daylight pic is about halfway between my house and our farm (📸 credit to one of my neighbors) and the nighttime pic was shared on our local "What's Happening" page on FB. Pics are in the same general vicinity.

Remember when the ODNR denied there were black bears in Ohio? 😂 Or was that even a real thing? 🤷

Whatever the case, Ohio certainly has a growing bear population in 2024 and I think it's cool.

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I remember a few years ago they had pics of a bear in the dumpster at a diner in McArthur…..I think it is called Mclures but not positive. I also had bear tracks in the mud on the dirt road in front of the gate to my property. Never got any pics on my trailcams though.
 

Smawgunner2

Active Member
1,413
63
Athens County
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hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
40,256
288
Ohio
Yes. I remember them. Late 80s/early 90s. Just north of Nelsonville we saw them while dirt biking and while sitting around the camp fire. Public riding area. Can't remember the name of the trailhead. It was in the Wayne off RT33 and it was still 2 lane.
 
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Fletch

Senior Member
Supporting Member
6,185
126
So the ODNR said at one time or another there are no bears in Ohio...Esp. Eastern Ohio with Pa. as a bordering state... Pa. kills close to 3000 bears every year ... The early season just ended and I believe there were over 900 bears killed... One was around 675 lbs. killed in Westmoreland County ( county I was born and raised in )... That county is not all that far from the Ohio border.... Bears can and do travel great distances. Bears do not stay together as a family, as the sow will chase her cubs off typically every two years when she is about to go into heat... Therefore expanding there range...So don't believe the ODNR...

Are they cool??? Most definitely... Are they destructive??? Most definitely... They will eat all your corn ( Walmart will love that )... They will destroy trail cameras... They will put a dent in fawn production... And the list will go on... But they are a majestic animal and are great to see...
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Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,812
205
Springboro
I think it's considered a "protected" species if there's not a law saying you can shoot them. It's similar to a bobcat. Both were native to Ohio before being extirpated and unless the DNR specifies a season, they're still protected. At least that's my current understanding.
@jbrown I'm thinking someone needs to help us get an official answer @Jbrown

Fuck is this @ thing working?

I'm thinking a bear in Ohio should be like a feral hog...boom - maybe I'm wrong. But my intuition says you'd get in a lot of trouble if you shoot a bear here
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,245
237
Ohio
@jbrown I'm thinking someone needs to help us get an official answer @Jbrown

Fuck is this @ thing working?

I'm thinking a bear in Ohio should be like a feral hog...boom - maybe I'm wrong. But my intuition says you'd get in a lot of trouble if you shoot a bear here
Nothing official from me, but I think you’re correct in being lawful to shoot a non-game species. It would, however, be a PR nightmare and a really bad look for hunters.

Bears are cool. But I’m glad we don’t have any in the great black swamp.
 
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RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,433
207
North Central Ohio
There's been black bear down in your area for years. I remember hunting with a buddy down there back in 90 or 91 that had claw marks on the tree from where one climbed up. He had hunted there a few days earlier and watched it climb up and down that tree. We found footprints in some mud up here years ago from a bear that had passed through. It's amazing how much ground a young male can cover in spring looking for love lol.