Black bear populations are bouncing back. Here's how these Texas towns are coping

ALPINE, Texas — In one of the most remote corners of Texas , Matt Hewitt is unlocking the door to a giant steel trap he's hoping will catch a black bear.

"It's completely empty," Hewitt says, as he reaches for a bucket with bait – days-old glazed donuts and frozen cantaloupe.

Hewitt, a researcher at the Borderlands Research Institute , affiliated with Sul Ross State University, leads a group that captures and collars black bears to try and get an idea of just how many are roaming the mountains and desert stretches of Far West Texas. And although it's too soon to say exactly how many bears there are, Hewitt believes "there's more than people realize."

Historically, black bears were once the biggest predator to travel the region in large numbers, but overhunting and habitat loss l