Black Bear allegedly spotted in Edmond!

According to the Edmond Sub-Reddit, a thrill-seeking black bear has been spotted minding its own business in the cross-timbers area of Northeast Edmond near I-35 and Covell Rd.

I say the bear is a thrill-seeker because it was spotted just miles from the residence of famed Oklahoma bear hunter – Kevin J. Stitt.

Here's a photo of the alleged bear along with the accompanying Reddit post:

Wow! Call it a coincidence if you want, but the fact that a black bear tore down an OU blanket just one year after Bear E. Switzer was savagely murdered by Oklahoma Wildlife Officials in Norman isn't lost on me. If I worked for the Wildlife Department, I'd make sure all the deadbolts are locked when I go to bed at night! That bear seeks revenge!

According to another Reddit user, it appears the bear may be a mom. They claim they saw a black bear with a cub near the Showbiz cinema along Covell:

Yeah, I'm not an expert on bear species either, but I'm pretty sure a bear with black fur is what's known as a black bear, a bear with brown fur is called a brown bear, and a bear with black and white fur that eats bamboo is called a panda. Then again, I have an Oklahoma education so what do I know?

Another person claimed they saw a black bear while jogging in thier neighborhood along Coltrane:

The person who shared that post included a blurry pic of the bear, but changed it to a funny image after being called out by a commenter that it looked similar to a pic of bear from a Florida news station.

That, along with the fact that three people on the quiet Edmond Reddit page all claim to have seen a black bear in Edmond – and then two of them seem to be unsure of what a black bear even looks like – makes me think this could be nothing more than a stupid prank or ruse.

Seriously, doesn't this seem suspicious? You're telling me there's a black bear hanging out at movie theatres in Edmond and KFOR hasn't pulled Brent Skarky out of retirement yet to investigate? KFOR goes with wall-to-wall coverage when a bobcat tries to break into a chicken coop, but they're silent on this?

Also, who chooses an obscure local sub-Reddit as a forum to share their black bear experiences? You're telling me that went with that over Instagram, Facebook, or Tik Tok?

"But Patrick! They have a photo!"

Yeah, but you can easily find those on the Internet. Plus, the date and time stamp on the pic above looks way too clear, almost like it was added after the fact.

I did try a reverse image search on the clear security photo and nothing came up, but that doesn't mean a lot. As I guy who created trail came footage of a mountain lion stalking Tall Paul, I know how easy it is to make up this stuff up:

I think the only way we'll know for sure whether the bear sighting is real or not is when Kevin Stitt shares a pic on social media in a couple of days of him posing with a dead black bear carcass.

Until then, I'm skeptical. Well, not skeptical enough to not write about it for you, but you get what I'm saying.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.