SHREVEPORT, La. – Louisiana black bears become active in the summer. July is when cubs that have grown into yearlings are forced out of their mother’s territory and can wander over 20 miles a day in search of food, a safe home and a mate.
Yearlings will instinctively check anything that might be a source of food, and hunters have been capturing them on their deer feeding cameras in Webster, Desoto, and Claiborne Parish
Their territory can extend up to 125 square miles, so it’s not uncommon to see black bears from Madison Parish in DeSoto Parish.
Stanley, Louisiana resident Cody Johnston found a bear dragging a deer carcass on the side of the road
“It’s real hard to explain to somebody that I’ve seen a black bear in Stanley, Louisiana, and not have the video to prove it,” Johnston said,”It was a black bear and he was dragging a deer carcass, backwards across the road, in his teeth. I would say around it was about four feet from nose to tail and 150 pounds plus.”
If you encounter a black bear, do not run. Make yourself as big and loud as possible to intimidate the bear. Call the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries so that they can track and monitor the bear population in order to protect the Louisiana state mammal.
The black bear is one of the most successful examples of conservation efforts in Louisiana.
It was placed on the endangered species list in 1992, with only 152 in the state.
State conservation plans were able to help the population recover, and they were removed from the list in 2016.