Missouri Man Shares Video of Bear Acting Innocent Near His Tree

There's nothing to see here. That seems to be what a bear in southern Missouri was trying to tell a man who shared video of the animal pretending it's completely innocent next to a tree he's about to devour.

I don't know the specific place in southern Missouri thanks to the fact that this is a YouTube short with little backstory, but I do know it is the southern part of the state thanks to the hashtags and it was just shared Thursday, December 26, 2024. It simply says "Black Bear in the back yard in southern Missouri." That appears to be accurate. Bonus points to the guy for a brilliant Yogi Bear narration, too.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has told us that we would continue to see the black bear population in the state increase and they're not wrong.

How can you tell if a black bear is near your Missouri home?

Other than spotting one like the Missouri guy above did, you can look for prints like this which are a dead giveaway that an apex predator is nearby.

The increasing bear numbers are one reason why the state is warning those especially in southern Missouri to not put bird feeders or any other food sources outside. You don't want a bear knowing that you're place is a reliable food source. However, when you have as many trees as the Missouri guy above has, you'll likely see bears sooner or later.