ORANGE, Texas — An Orange resident says he photographed a black bear early Thursday morning roaming in his yard.
When Guy Bland first took the photograph, he believed it was a hog. But upon inspection, he realized it was a bear.
"When I got to zooming in on the picture, I thought, 'this ain't no hog!'" he said.
Bland was sitting on his porch off Allie Payne Road, drinking his coffee early Thursday morning when he couldn't believe his eyes.
"I'd seen it coming out from behind that dumpster, and he'd walked to the left of it, and at about that time, he'd came out and started walking. he'd gone out to about that oak tree. Then I'd got to noticing he'd kind of stopped, put his head down, he was eating. He'd picked that ol' head up again and that's when I'd realized, 'hey, this ain't no hog!'" said Bland.
Bland was only able to get one picture of the bear because distant gunshots from duck hunters scared it causing it to quickly take off.
"Well as soon as they started poppin' them shots, that dude took off running. So once it got about halfway down the backside of that hill, I lost visibility of it. So I don't know which way it went, or what!" Bland said.
Bland has lived on his property since 1977 and he's never seen a black bear on his land.
Wildlife journalist Chester Moore thinks it's the real deal.
"My first thought when I saw it was, 'oh, that looks like a bear.'," he said. "It definitely has a bear shape, it has bear coloration in coat."
While bear sightings in the Southeast Texas region are rare, they could be on the rise in the future, according to Moore.
"Our neighboring Louisiana has a thriving and increasing black bear population. Bears do cross into East Texas," Moore said.
After this sighting Bland says he will be vigilant.
"When that dude run, you could see all that fat and fur just rolling and slapping. You know darn good and well that wasn't no hog," Bland told 12News.
Moore also want to remind Southeast Texans that while black bears are a protected species in Texas, so shooting one could lead to a hefty fine.
If you see one, make sure to contact your local wildlife officials.