After a half-century's absence, black bears are trickling back into East Texas.

Early summer is prime time to see a bear, though the odds against seeing one in Texas are astronomical. This is breeding season for bruins, the time when mother bears kick their grown cubs out of the family.

Young male bears, in particular, are on the prowl, looking for new territory. They're the troublemakers that wind up looking for dinner in garbage cans. Jim Drewitz had one of those encounters in early May. Drewitz, who lives in the Dallas area, fishes frequently around Broken Bow, Okla., a popular fishing and camping spot for north Texas anglers.

Drewitz and his family were staying at a rental cabin near Beavers Bend State Park when a bear got into their garbage. They didn't see the bear, but they did see its footprints.

"I'll bet that 99.9 percent of Dallas residents don't realize there are wild bears within a three-hour drive of Dallas," Drewitz said. "It's pretty cool, really."

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation officials don't know for sure how many bears roam the heavily wooded hills of McCurtain and LeFlore Counties, but it could be as many as 500.

"There are a lot of bears in southeastern Oklahoma," said ODWC biologist Joe Hemphill, who's studied the animals for more than 20 years. "The population is very stable. It's probably growing. We're getting a lot of nuisance bear calls right now. The problems are mostly caused by young males. They tear up garbage and tents and get into cabins, looking for a free meal. They love dog food."

Roaming bears don't recognize state boundaries, like the Red River. They drift across into Texas. There's been one confirmed bear sighting on Texas Parks and Wildlife's White Oak Creek Wildlife Management Area, a 25,000-acre hardwood bottom on the Sulphur River and White Oak Creek.

A few years ago, a speeding 18-wheeler ran over a bear on I-30 near Mount Vernon. TP&W biologist Ricky Maxey confirmed the bear as a young male and saved tissue for DNA analysis. He figures the animal drifted over from nearby Oklahoma. Bears are likewise coming from Arkansas and Louisiana.

"Bear sightings in East Texas started picking up in the late 1990s," said Maxey. "Some years, we only get two or three reports. Other years we get 10 or more."

Bears have been documented in recent years by deer and hog hunters who place remote cameras on feed stations. There is a bear hunting season in Arkansas but the animals are a protected species in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. They were common throughout Texas prior to Anglo-American colonization in the early 1800s.

One southeast Texas bear hunter had 305 animals to his credit before he stopped hunting them in 1887. He said he retired from bear hunting because the animals became scarce. Two Liberty County hunters killed 182 bears in three years (1883-1885) within a 10-mile radius of the Trinity River. The last East Texas bear reported killed by a hunter was in Polk County in the 1950s. Black bears were subsequently placed on the list of protected species.

While black bears are certainly big enough and strong enough to be a threat to humans, they lack the aggressive nature of their grizzly bear cousins. There's no documented case of a bear attack in either Texas or Oklahoma.

"Attacks are rare anywhere," Maxey said. "Wild black bears are very timid of humans. It's a privilege to see one, particularly in East Texas."

If you are lucky enough to see a bear, the sighting should be reported to TP&W's Tyler office at 903-566-1626. For more information about bears, look on the Louisiana-based Black Bear Conservation Committee's Web site at www.bbcc.org. The BBCC has advice on how to deal with bears in different situations, including bears attracted by feeders intended for hogs or deer.

■ Most bears avoid humans, so make noise as you hike through the woods to let bears know you're in the area.

■ If you see a bear, do not run away. You cannot outrun a bear and running might trigger a predatory response from the bear.

■ If the bear comes toward you, stand your ground and make yourself appear as big as possible.

■ If the bear stands on its hind feet, it's trying to get a better look. Standing up is not an aggressive posture.

■ In the unlikely event that the bear attacks you, fight back aggressively. A bear is less likely to continue an attack if it encounters resistance.

■ The best defense in bear country is pepper spray specially formulated to irritate a bear's nose, which is more sensitive than the nose of a bloodhound.

■ Do not feed bears. Bears that view humans as a food source are likely to cause problems.

■ Bears are protected by Texas law. Do not shoot a bear unless you are defending your life, and you'd better have claw marks as proof of a threat.