Black Bear Making Annual Appearance In SW Kansas

Southwest Kansas isn’t bear country, but there’s one black bear that’s been showing up in the region for several years.

Startled residents begin spotting the bear each spring. State

Game Warden B.J. Thurman says that’s because the bear is highly visible as it roams through wheat fields, feasting on the crop.

Thurman, who calls the bear “Boo-Boo,” told the High Plains

Daily Leader that the animal has been in the area for six or seven years. He believes it roamed out of nearby New Mexico during an outbreak of wildfires and either lives in southwest Kansas year-round or visits the area in the spring.

The bear was spotted several times recently in Stevens County.

It’s been known to travel through several counties in the region.