Black bear picked up by trail camera near Hunters Lane in Nashville – Tennessean

Middle Tennessee resident Justin Daye has recorded the latest evidence that black bears are making a comeback in the area. 

He runs trail cameras on a 200-acre farm in Davidson County that he manages for deer and turkey hunting.

When he checked the footage this week, he uncovered what may be only the second sighting of a black bear in Davidson County in modern history.

“I checked the cameras on Sunday and was surprised to see the bear, to say the least,” Daye said.

The farm is located near Hunters Lane off of Dickerson Pike, about 10 miles north of downtown Nashville.

Last year, a black bear was spotted in Joelton in northwest Davidson County.

Barry Cross, a spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, said it’s difficult to know if Daye’s bear is the same one.

But it does seem likely the animal has been roaming Middle Tennessee throughout the fall and may be here to stay, Cross said. It’s possible this bear is the same one that was spotted in Robertson County over the summer.

So far, the bear seems to be sticking to the woods. 

“He’s just doing bear things right now,” Cross said.

He recommended that residents who spot a bear should never approach it and should secure their trash and recycling bins.

The Tennessean reported earlier this year that residents should be prepared to see more of the animals.

Breeding pairs are having cubs on the fringes of eastern Middle Tennessee, and the animals are expected to continue to push west, repopulating the area in the next decade as sightings become common in more counties, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

“In the next 10 years, it’s going to be a lot different when it comes to bears than it is now,” Dan Gibbs, a wildlife biologist and statewide bear program leader for the TWRA, said earlier this year. “Back in the late 1800s, our whole state had bears, and they’re in the process of re-colonizing their former range.

“That means we’ll have to adapt.”

Whenever a bear is spotted, the TWRA wants to know about it. The agency has set up a special section on its website, I Saw A Bear, where people can report sightings.

Nicole Young contributed to this story. 

Published 5:25 PM EDT Oct 29, 2019