Black Bear Sightings Could Be On The Rise In Iowa [WATCH]

If you own some kind of camera around your house or on your property, you'll never know what it might pick up. One of the most common things spotted on door cameras around your house or on your property is animals.

It can be pretty cool to check your video footage and find a family of deer or a fox walking by. It can also be a bit unsettling if your camera happens to catch something a lot bigger. This Iowa family from Dubuque had a visitor that not very many Iowans would expect to see.

According to KCRG, a Dubuque family had a visitor that's been pretty rare in Iowa over the last 20 years. Check out this video of a black bear wandering around the property of Cole Lancing and his fiance' Mara Coomes.

Cole spoke to KCRG and said that he and his fiance were just wondering what it was at first.

We could just see this big object, and we looked at each other and were like what the heck is that?

 

According to KCRG, there have only been 49 black bear spottings in the last 20 years but the Iowa Department of Natural Resources believes this could be a more common thing in Iowa.

Black Bears were once native to Iowa but the population has seen a massive decline in the 20th century. The bear seen in this video is one that the DNR is pretty familiar with, he's even been given a name.

Vince Evelsizer is a furbearer biologist with the DNR and told KCRG, they've named him "Google-eye" and he's been spotted in Dubuque County a few times in the last 3 years. Google-eye has been a bit of a nuisance in the city of Dubuque. According to Evelsizer. He said

He’s potentially a safety issue for the citizens of Dubuque and for himself. Put your birdfeeder away for a while, keep your barbecue clean and in a safe storage spot like your garage.

While it can be a bit unnerving to see a black bear on your property, Evelsizer, and the Iowa DNR have worked with people to feel more comfortable having black bears living in the area.

There was a recent video on USA Today showing a North Carolina man on his porch reading when he has an unexpected visitor. He handles this situation a lot better than I would've. I would've needed a new set of underwear and a new house if I was in this situation.