A black bear in seen in the Cascade Range. Medford police received multiple reports Sunday of a black bear sighting near Oakdale and 10th Street, as well as along Stewart Avenue near Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. An Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist said Tuesday the bear, which had moved to the Bear Creek Greenway in south Medford Monday, had left the area.

Medford police and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said they are hopeful a non-aggressive black bear spotted in south Medford will leave on its own and are urging the public to take safety precautions.

Medford police posted on Facebook Sunday night that officers were able to confirm a bear sighting near Oakdale and 10th Street, as well as along Stewart Avenue near Fichtner-Mainwaring Park. Police urged residents to not approach the bear, don’t leave food for the animal and to bring their pets indoors.

Medford police did not immediately return requests for comment Monday, but Matthew Vargas, an ODFW Rogue District wildlife biologist, said he and his staff had been in touch with police since Monday morning. Although he did not see the bear, Vargas said the animal is in a tree “along the greenway in south Medford.”

“Our recommendation is to have people stay away from it,” Vargas said. “If you see it, don’t linger in the area. That’s just going to make it nervous, cause more stress for the animal. Just let it be, and it will come down.”

He said bears are most active at night, looking for food to “pack on as much weight as possible” for winter. During the day, their “safe haven” is often up a tree.

“They usually find the tallest tree,” Vargas said.

He said bears have been known to hide in trees until it gets dark, and if they do leave, it might not be until the wee hours of the morning.

“They’ll climb down and go about their business,” Vargas said. “That’s probably what’s going to happen in this scenario.”

He said at this point, with Medford police keeping a watchful eye on the bear, the situation is very much “a waiting game.”

“Medford PD is keeping an eye on the area just to make sure no person does anything reckless. You know how people are; some people might want to climb the tree after the bear — who knows,” Vargas said. 

Trying to encourage bears to come down from trees in town is not the best option, according to Vargas. 

“There’s no real easy way or safe way to get down. When I say ‘safe,’ I mean safe for the bear and safe for the people around,” he said. “We have tried moving bears in the past and what we found is it doesn’t really work.”

He said one bear found in the Rogue Valley was transported east to the small town of Bonanza outside Klamath Falls. But the bear returned to the Rogue Valley and was killed by a hunter. 

“It knew exactly where it went; it knew exactly where it wanted to be, and it beelined back here right away,” Vargas said. 

He said the number of calls about bears his office has received has gone down over the past year. Jackson County received 346 calls about bears in 2022. Up to this point in 2023, there have been 111.

That number could increase before the close of the year, according to Vargas. But overall, he is pleased with the downward trend, which he can attribute a “great natural food year for bears.”

Despite more reason for bears to stay away from town, Vargas said there are always a few outliers, like the animal up in a tree Monday. 

“Every now and then, a bear’s still going to want to come into town (and) going to want an easy meal,” he said. “Sometimes, they’re on the move and come to the city street. … This could just be one of those events where they just start off with curiosity and before long, it was like, ‘Hey, I’m kind of in the middle of town where I don’t want to be.’ But they always move themselves out.”