“Don’t feed the Bears.” Not only are you likely to find that popular sign in zoos and wildlife parks, it’s also a message that the La Department of Wildlife & Fisheries wants to get out to hunters. In a special “Hunters Edition” of Bear Safety in Mind brochure there’s information regarding historical facts about black bear in Louisiana, how to prevent hunter/bear conflicts, what to do should you encounter a bear and laws protecting bears.
The yet unsolved killing Sunday December 20, of a female Louisiana black bear that was found dead by a hunter on Three Rivers Wildlife management Area in Concordia Parish, is the last in a growing list and proves the need for more and better education about these unique, endangered mammals.
According to Enforcement Division's Lt. Col. Keith Lacaze the bear was shot. "This is the fourth illegally killed bear on a WMA to date for the 2009-10 hunting season. Three others have been killed on Red River WMA,” he said. “This is the fourth illegally killed bear on a WMA to date for the 2009-10 hunting season. This bear, along with her three cubs, was moved in 2006 as part of the multi-agency Louisiana Black Bear Reintroduction Program. She denned on Three Rivers WMA and produced two cubs in 2009. The status of her orphaned cubs is unknown.
"The loss of another adult female in her prime is a significant loss to bear recovery," noted LDWF Secretary Robert J. Barham. "Setbacks like these are not only frustrating and costly, but they may also delay removal of the Louisiana black bear from the Endangered Species List.
The similarity of appearance of darker colored feral hogs and black bears was allegedly a factor in the accidental killing of one of the female black bears and her cub on Red River WMA in November. So, hunters are reminded that as feral hogs increase in numbers across the state, target identification, is a critical factor in hunter safety and a basic component of legal game harvest.
Killing a bear is a state and federal offense with penalties including up to $50,000 in fines, jail time and loss of hunting privileges. Anyone with any information regarding this or any other wildlife crime should call Louisiana Operation Game Thief, Inc. at 800-442-2511. Cash rewards up to $5,000 are offered for information leading to the apprehension of individuals harming a black bear. Callers may remain anonymous.
To fully understand how despicable an act this is, it’s important to know the history of this magnificent species. The American Black Bear, Ursus americanus was once found throughout North America from Alaska and northern Canada south to northern Mexico. Black bears in Louisiana, the lower two-thirds of Mississippi and eastern Texas are one of 16 recognized subspecies, Ursus americanus luteolus, the Louisiana Black Bear. They are normally black with a brown muzzle and an occasional white blaze across the chest. Average weights for adult males are 150-350 pounds, females 120-250. Historic accounts refer to LA black bears as once being common throughout the bottomland hardwoods and Mississippi and Atchafalaya river basins. They were once plentiful enough to warrant hunting seasons but overhunting in the early 1900s reduced their numbers. The main factor that has them now on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s endangered species list is loss of habitat. By 1980 over 80% bottomland hardwood forest had been lost to reservoir construction and conversion to agriculture and housing. Male black bears roam great distances and require vast amounts of suitable habitat for survival. A federal study in the Tensas River Basin indicates that adult males use 40,000 acres and adult females 18,000 acres.
Today, black bears are found in core areas in the Tensas and Atchafalaya River basins and some small scattered populations in southeast LA and western MS. The current population estimated to be between 300 and 400 are primarily in bottomland hardwood and floodplain forests. Through the joint restocking program involving several state, federal and non-profit conservation organizations the black bear population is on the rise. Since hunting is a management tool based on the taking of surplus animals from a healthy, viable population, the return of a limited season for hunting black bear, if ever, is decades away. It’s important that hunters, more than any other group, understand the black bear issue. They are the ones who spend the most time in bear habitat, feed other wildlife and have firearms in their possession at the time of the encounter.
To prevent hunter/bear conflicts LDWF suggests the following:
1. Keep camps clean to prevent odors that attract bears.
2. Discard gut piles away from the camp.
3. Placing deer corn in piles or in open feeders will attract bears.
4. Using an automated feeder hung out of reach of bears will decrease bear visitation.
5. Switching bait types from corn to soybeans will reduce bear activity.
6. For more information about obtaining the brochure, contact the LDWF at (225) 765-2385 or at www.wlf.louisiana.gov. To report bear conflicts or to anonymously provide information about the killing of T4 call (800) 442-2511 24 hours/7 days a week and you could be eligible to receive a reward.