Eric Reicks was harvesting the last few rows of corn on his family's farm near Schley, Ia., Tuesday when his dad called and said something was running toward him.

The 30-year-old farmer from Cresco, which is about 3 hours northeast of Des Moines, grabbed his phone and got ready to capture whatever animal it was. He initially thought it was a deer and got out of his tractor.

But instead, his eyes widened when he noticed the "2½- to 3-foot" bear and quickly got back into his ride.

"I was very surprised," Reicks told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday.

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Reicks said the encounter lasted only a couple of minutes, adding that the bear was scared.

"He went running away near a creek," he said. "Hadn't seen him since."

Harold Chapman, conservation director of the Howard County Conservation Board, didn't have any additional information about the bear sighting or other reports in the area as of 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Reicks shared photos and video of the bear on his Snapchat account before crafting a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon about his experience. He added he was 20 or 30 feet from it.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, the post has more than 4,700 shares and hundreds of comments.

"Everyone was going crazy on (Snapchat) so I put it on Facebook," Reicks said. "It just took off."

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Earlier this year, a black bear was spotted in Butler and Grundy counties in April, in a Mahaska County soybean field in July and in Poweshiek County in September and October.

Additionally, Iowa doesn't have a breeding population of black bears and those occurring in the state are likely coming from neighboring states like Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin, the DNR says.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, black bears have no legal status in Iowa Code, meaning they are not protected by state laws. However, the Iowa DNR does not promote harvesting black bears if "they are not exhibiting a direct threat to human safety or livestock," it said.

If a bear is seen near property or a town, do not approach or try to feed it. Contact your local county sheriff’s office and advise them of the bear's location.

Reicks said he called the "cop shop" and everyone in town knows about his discovery. This was also his first time seeing a bear up close.

"Probably be the last time, too," Reicks said, laughing.

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