Ohio is getting wilder out there.

Confirmed sightings of both black bears and bobcats increased across Ohio in 2009, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The agency said Ohio had 119 black bear sightings, of which 51 were confirmed by state personnel. That compares with 38 confirmed sightings in 2008.

The 51 confirmed sightings occurred in 21 Ohio counties, including Portage and Stark, and involved an estimated 31 different bears, said the Division of Wildlife.

Portage County had 15 bear sightings, of which five were confirmed, and Stark had two sightings, both of which were confirmed, said spokeswoman Suzie Prange. Summit County had three unconfirmed bear sightings and Medina had one unconfirmed sighting, she said.

Most of the sightings were in Northeast Ohio and south-central Ohio. Ashtabula County had the most sightings with 27.

Most of the sightings were reported from May to August, which is the peak of black bear breeding and the dispersal of young male bears that roam.

There were four reported sightings of sows with cubs and two reports of cubs alone.

Ohio had a record number of bear sightings in 2002: 165.

In addition, the state had 92 confirmed sightings of bobcats in 2009, up from 65 in 2008.

Most of the bobcat activity was found in Southeast Ohio, the wildlife division said.

The elusive cat had disappeared from Ohio by 1850, but returned on its own from neighboring states in the 1960s.

Since 1970, state wildlife biologists have verified 359 bobcat sightings in 31 Ohio counties. Verification comes from photographs and tracks, incidental trapping, recovery of road kill and sightings by state personnel.

The center of sightings is Noble County and its surrounding counties.

Locally, Summit had three unconfirmed sightings in 2009, while Portage had six and Wayne and Medina each had one. There were no confirmed bobcat reports in the five-county Akron area.