NewsOK member benefits

Bears hunting for new food sources in Oklahoma

From small pests to potentially big ones, wildlife is affected by drought.

BY ROBERT MEDLEY rmedley@opubco.com | Published: July 22, 2011 Comment on this article

Multimedia

Videoview all videos

Summer feeding sites help children combat the heat

Jul 21Novo Ministries and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma...

Photoview all 11 photos

Article Gallery: Bears hunting for new food sources in Oklahoma

NewsOK Related Articles

Summer feeding sites helping some children who are facing extreme heat as well as hunger
07/22/2011 The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma works with several partners in Oklahoma City to provide public summer feeding sites for children.
Oklahoma's icy treats help beat the heat
07/22/2011 Record triple-digit temperatures are good news for some Oklahoma businesses serving up icy treats.
Railroad workers busy inspecting tracks for heat damage
07/22/2011 Omaha-based Union Pacific, which has more than 1,100 miles of track in Oklahoma, is having workers check railways daily for ‘sun kink.'
Heat wave likely to continue through summer, Oklahoma officials say
07/22/2011 Oklahoma's heat wave was blamed Thursday in another death, the fifth attributed to heat so far this year. And state forecasters say there's no end to the...
Some medications or health conditions don't mix with Oklahoma's summer heat
07/22/2011 Oklahoma's blazing sun is especially dangerous to people with heart conditions and other chronic illnesses, as well as those who take some common medications.

Hardesty, who works in Muskogee, said he has heard others say bears have been seen in the area.

He set up trail cameras by hanging them on trees near deer feeders. One day a camera was swatted and took photos of the ground. Another day a corn feeder was smashed and 60 pounds of corn eaten. Two cameras have been bent and broken.

The cameras captured black bear photos June 24 and July 10.

Don't feed the bears

Hardesty said he has stopped putting out corn.

“They'll stay around as long as you feed them,” he said.

Craig Endicott, a state game warden in Cherokee County, said bears were rarely seen there until recent years.

“It's kind of new for us to see them up here,” Endicott said. “Leave them alone and move away from them. Typically a black bear is not aggressive but once it is gone, remove the lure that attracted it to the area.”

Page 2 of 2