Black bears, though native to Oklahoma, are rarely seen in the Tulsa area. One has now been captured on multiple trail cameras just south of Bixby, drawing attention from local property owners and wildlife officials.

Barry Benton, who owns 40 acres about eight miles outside Bixby, said he first spotted the bear in late August on his trail cameras.

"I'm flipping through there and all of a sudden, 'Oh my gosh! It's a bear,'" Benton said.

Benton purchased the Okmulgee County property in April for deer hunting. The area, surrounded by thousands of acres of wilderness, provides the bear with both shelter and food. Benton said the bear has been seen at feeders and on cameras across neighboring properties.

A friend of Benton's, located about two miles away, captured images of the same bear in

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