a guy set traps for mountain lion and coyote out around Marfa\Ft. Stockton and found a black bear in his trap? What is a man to do? No phone service, miles from a ranch-house, alone. Is it illegal?

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it...

Drive to phone service, the bear is trapped, he not going anywhere.

The best way to let a bear out of a trap is to hold your buddy's beer for him.

Same as a deer you have to let it go... is what it is

Excellent plan.

Let the bear have the trap

You guys just cracked me up!!!! Got a visual on " I'll hold your beer".... Give the bear the trap....and the tree.... Still laughing...:)). Smiley face... Yeah I'm a girl!!

There's a real good reason why we don't have large populations of competing predators like bears wolves jaguars, ocelots, and mountain lions. Our land is mostly private, and we protect our property. When Texas was settled there were bears and wolves and lions in virtually every part of the state.

Predators were shot on sight and hunted virtually to extinction (with the exception of yotes and in fact they were poisoned to extinction where people raised sheep).

I can assure you the reason black bears have not made a significant rebound in Texas, is because they are still shot on sight. S,S,S.

It goes in this order for me

But if it's not legal better call the game warden

let it go

This is where having a good relationship with a game warden would be very helpful, I don't even know if there is a season on them in Texas, in New Mexico, I had one leave my Barn and climb up a Utility Pole, kilt himself, damndest thang you ever saw! I called my friend that happened to be a Game Warden and he wrote up a receipt for it, I was then able to get a rug made, I am a firm believer in the "three S's"...Hypothetically speaking of Course

Fixed it for you


TGT

Bear...what bear?

It happened to my buddy. He said he thought it was a hog as it was a "cinnamon".

I would like to see a trap that would hold a wild, mature bear.

Judging on what I've seen them do to feeders and stands, I doubt any trap meant for coyotes, or even lions, would stop/hold a bear.

Do folks actually trap lions? Other than a possible snare, I wouldn't think lions would go to a trap.

So far as the cartoon-type "bear trap" with the snapping jaws. You'd better have a concrete anchor or a really big tree. No mesquite bush or fence post is going to hold a bear.

Actually the bigger snares will hold a large hog which is as large and probably stronger than most black bears you would find in west Texas.

Also, if the bear is like most dogs, they quit fighting once they know the snare is just getting tighter.

And yes, people do snare mountain lions. Works quite nicely.

Rancher, with all due respect, hogs are not even close to being as strong as bears. Hogs have tiny feet and no claws. They cannot get leverage and cannot grasp like bears. Bears can easily snap off a 4in thick mesquite or cedar base, and with a little more effort could probably bust ones even larger.

Unfortunately, I had a problem with a bear in Val Verde county. Bear ripped motor completely out of feeder with one swat of a paw. Bit game cams in half. Snapped 5000 lb guy wires. Pushed over 3000 structures. Picked up and tossed aside hog panels.

Another guy had his Polaris ranger turned upside down. The rancher had his tailgate on his truck torn loose.

They are incredibly strong and destructive. Makes a 400 pound hog look like a kitten in comparison.

1/8 in aircraft cable ain't going to hold a bear, unless he is weak or sick. I can't think of much in south/west Texas you could attach a cable to that a bear couldn't move - unless it's a vehicle. And then the bear will tear a vehicle up. Break windows, and a large bear's claws could probably put holes in the sheet metal fenders.

A pig would make a bear look silly... whats a big black bear weigh in Tx... 125lbs?

Im sure they know how to use leverage but I don't see them doing something like this

Texas black bears certainly aren't giants....but a mature male is bigger than 125 lbs. Probably at least 200-250 with some maybe going over 300. I don't have any experience dealing with bears, but I would imagine a 300 lb bear would be MUCH more destructive than a 300 lb hog. Just my $0.02

They trap lions in live catch traps in West Texas. Use a live goat in a small pen with feed and water that is attached to the main trap. Lions are snared also. Lot of snares are tied to drags that are heavy and will catch on trees or brush as they are pulled through. They were an animal down thinking it is escaping.