See NBC4's coverage of a black bear sighting this month in Guernsey County in the video player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Black bears are becoming a more common sight in Ohio, prompting the state Department of Natural Resources to research the resurgence of the once locally-extinct species.
Black bears, which are considered endangered in Ohio, saw a significant population decline in the state in the mid-1800s due to unregulated hunting and extensive deforestation. By the 1850s, they were considered locally extirpated, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Now, the species’ population is making a comeback, and sightings are on the rise.
“In 2024, we got 210 sightings and if you compare that to when we started monitoring in 1993, we only had nine confirmed sightings,” said Lindsey Krusling, a communications specialist with the ODNR’s Division of Wildlife. “Every year pretty much we are seeing an increase in sightings of black bears in Ohio.”
The jump in reports has prompted the Division of Wildlife to launch a research project to learn more about the species’ movements and reproduction in the state, by attempting to fit 10 to 20 bears with GPS collars in coming years. The neckbands remotely transmit location data to researchers.
The ongoing project is monitoring the movements of a male bear collared in northeast Ohio in July 2024. On June 3, the state department also collared a female black bear in Ashtabula County on private land with the owner’s permission, marking the first time a female bear has been fitted with a GPS collar in Ohio.
The collars are programmed to fall off before their batteries die, typically after about 18 months. The effort will help researchers learn about bears’ habitat preferences, survival rates and frequency of reproduction, according to the state department.
A female black bear fitted with a GPS collar in Ashtabula County (Photo courtesy/Tory Westall, Gantchoff Lab, University of Dayton).Currently, an estimated 50-100 black bears visit Ohio at some point during a given year, according to Krusling. She attributed the state's growing population to hunting regulations, as black bears became illegal to hunt in Ohio in 1995, and the current growth of forested areas in the eastern United States. These conditions have allowed the animals to travel to Ohio from neighboring states with healthy populations.
“It's very exciting that we're having them naturally recolonize and kind of starting to bring back that healthy population,” Krusling said. “It's definitely showing that we are on a great path with habitat management and the restoration of our forested areas in Ohio.”
Most black bear sightings in Ohio are of young male bears roaming large distances in search of females, who tend to establish a territory and stay there. Males are unlikely to stay in an area long-term unless a female bear is present. In just the past few years, the state department has begun to see adult females with cubs -- another indicator of a growing population, according to Krusling.
Black bears are most commonly seen in Ohio in late May through early July, according to the ODNR. Sightings most commonly occur in eastern forested areas of the state.
The ODNR recommends residents who live in any areas where a sighting was recently reported keep their trash inside a garage, remove bird feeders, keep pet food inside, clean grease from outdoor grills and pick any fruit from their yard to avoid attracting the species.
If an individual does encounter a black bear, they should remain calm, avoid eye contact and slowly back away, according to the state agency.
“If you do encounter a black bear, they are a pretty skittish species,” Krusling said. “The first thing they will try to do is to run away or move out of the situation.”
Residents should not run or climb trees, because these actions may provoke a chase. If a bear does begin to approach, the department suggests people raise their hands above their head to appear larger, and clap or shout to scare it away.
Black bear sightings can be reported to the Division of Wildlife on its website or by calling 800-945-3543.
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