A Missouri Black Bear Got Up-Close-And-Personal with a Trail Cam

If you've ever witnessed a black bear in Missouri, you can attest to the fact that they are fascinating and curious creatures. A trail cam learned this the hard way as one of these apex predators took special interest in it and paid the price.

I just saw this video today shared by Just One Outdoors. I'm not sure when it was captured since it's a YouTube short and the descriptions rarely give you any backstory. It's new to me, so I'm sharing it because it's about as close as you can get to a Missouri black bear without being dinner.

I do know from the hashtags that this did happen in Missouri and it was a black bear and it was (past tense) a trail camera.

I don't think I've seen a black bear's eye this close before. Hey there, big fellow.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has told us that black bears are becoming more common in the state and they're obviously not wrong. These big creatures over the years have started migrating their habitat more to the northeast instead of just being isolated in the southern half of the state.

The rule of thumb these days is it's best to assume you're in bear country if you're in the backwoods of Missouri instead of being in for the surprise of your life and that means making sure you make food sources hard to access. Your trail cam will thank you for it.