When the little black bear was dropped off in a Houston County wildlife management area Thursday night, he surely had a story to tell.

The bear spent upward of five hours in a tree in Hogansville earlier that day before state Department of Natural Resources wildlife officers were able to tranquilize him and secure him in a cage. Wildlife officials say his appearance may not be the last time locals get close and personal with wildlife.

Before the bear got scared and went into the tree, Hogansville residents said he spent about an hour walking through Johnson Street park and the adjoining neighborhood.

“These encounters are not uncommon this time of year, and residents should be aware of the increased possibility of black bear sightings this summer,” said a statement by the state Department of Natural Resources. “This time of year, young male black bears are temporarily transient and often roam into what’s considered nontraditional bear range, including urbanized areas and suburbs.”

Hogansville residents were fascinated by the 3-year-old male black bear’s appearance on the edge of the city’s mill village Thursday morning. Estimates put the crowd that turned out to “bear watch” at about 500. Police Chief Moses Ector said the experience taught Hogansville officers hands-on how to handle a large crowd, something they weren’t prepared for Thursday.

“We may wind up calling in additional officers for crowd control” if the department has a similar incident, he said. “It was a good training experience for us. We learned a lot.”

Officers also learned one practical lesson for the department:

“We need a bigger tranquilizer gun,” Ector said.

The department’s tranquilizer gun is meant for smaller animals such as dogs and cats, not wild bears.

The state wildlife office discourages “bear watching” and says the best thing to do is leave the bears alone.

“If left alone, the young male bears eventually will return to traditional bear range - the north Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage system in central Georgia and the Okefenokee Swamp in southeastern Georgia,” officials said.

Unless there is evidence of aggressive behavior, there’s no real cause for alarm, state wildlife officers say. In Georgia, there never has been a fatal attack on a person by a black bear.

The state offers these precautions in the event of a bear sighting:

— Never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Such activity is unlawful.

— Keep items such as grills, pet food or bird feeders off limits to bears. Clean and store grills when not in use.

— Keep pet food indoors and take bird feeders down if bears are in the area.

— Convert to “bear proof” garbage containers or store garbage in the garage or other enclosed areas until pickup day.

— Do not approach a bear. Bears are wild animals and unpredictable.

— If a bear has been sighted in your area, strictly observe all the above tips to make sure your activities are not contributing to the issue.

— To report an aggressive or nonyielding bear, call local law enforcement and the state DNR at 800-241-4113.

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.