Among the callers today with stories about bear encounters was James G. Horton, who has 20 acres on Lake Faye between Ocklawaha and Moss Bluff.

Area residents have been seeing Florida black bears for the past couple of weeks, he told me. "They've been in my woods like wild cats. I mean they've been everywhere."

Recently, Horton and his adult daughter were driving all-terrain vehicles in the woods. He followed some tracks around a sinkhole and rolled right up to bear. Horton warned his daughter. Then he went back for a camera.

Horton was kind enough to send me an e-mail with photos attached. He wrote: "I was riding my ATV about 1/4 mile from my house and came across this bear and standing on its back feet it was about 7ft tall."

Here are some more of his photos:

Thanks, Mr. Horton, for these excellent photos. But I feel compelled to urge everyone to keep a safe distance, if possible, from bears in the wild.