Gainesville’s infamous black bear is heading north, out of residential areas, an official from the state Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday.

Scott Frazier, DNR wildlife biologist, said the department received a report of the bear around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on Honeysuckle Road.

“It’s headed in the proper direction, and it’s bordering right on the edge of any development,” Frazier said. “So, I’m expecting our sightings are going to drop off pretty significantly.”

Bear fever in Gainesville began with several sightings in the downtown area Thursday. That day, the DNR’s Kevin Lowrey tracked the animal through thick kudzu on Sylvan Wood Lane behind The Times. His trapping efforts were unsuccessful, and some residents saw the bear in their yards Friday morning.

DNR officials set a trap for the bear Monday night near Thompson Bridge Road, south of the lake.

“We had a report that it had stayed around a residence for the better part of a day, so we did set a trap at that location,” Frazier said.

But they didn’t catch the bear, and around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, the animal was spotted off of Brittany Court near Laurel Park.

Now, it looks like the bear won’t be crossing many more residents’ paths, and Frazier said he wasn’t planning to set any more traps. He would let the bear clear the area on its own.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Frazier said he was glad the bear “saga” seemed to be coming to a close.

“I’m personally really happy with it being up that far,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of undeveloped space up there, so I think the concerns are going to drop off.”