Black Bear Confirmed Prowling Near 2 Rural Roads in SE Missouri

Take me home, country roads, to the place where bears are prowling? Perhaps that should be how the song goes in southeastern Missouri as law enforcement in one of these small communities has confirmed a black bear has been spotted near two rural roads.

The Mississippi County Sheriff's Office in Missouri shared an update on their Facebook page saying "the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office has received confirmation from Conservation authorities of a black bear sighting north of Charleston, near County Road 220 and County Road 217." WSIL News 3 shared a video of the black bear encounter.

Based on the directions given by the Mississippi County Sheriff's Office, the bear was spotted near the junction of these two rural roads to the northwest of Charleston, Missouri.

2024 has been the year for black bear sightings in southeast Missouri and southwest Illinois as there have been numerous sightings of these large animals in the past few weeks. We've been told for the past several years by the Missouri Department of Conservation that black bears in the state would continue to migrate more towards the northeast and that has proven true including even the St. Louis metro area in some cases.

The new reality in Missouri is you need to assume if you're in the woods, you're in bear country. Better to have that mindset and be safe than sorry.