Black Bears

[jkm1272]

[webfoot]

I would love to see more black bears in Mississippi, you are correct that the male population is at 95+%... Black bears have been spotted as far north in the Delta in Tunica county and also into the foothills in Quitman county.

We had a black male on our place west of the levee in Coahoma county that I photographed, his weight was est. at 200 lbs.

[webfoot]

This article appeared last week in the CL.

Birth of black bear 1st in 40 years in Miss.
By Bobby Cleveland
March 20, 2005

Black bears officially are native to Mississippi — again.

The first documented birth of Louisiana black bears in the wild in the state was found by biologists March 11 in Wilkinson County.

"It's been nearly half a century, at least 40 years, since there's been a recorded birth in Mississippi," said Brad Young, the bear biologist for the state's Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "There may have been some that weren't documented, but we know this one happened and it's great news."
Young said it was a big step in Mississippi's effort to restore the Louisiana black bear. He estimated that 40 bears reside in Mississippi.

Three male cubs and two female cubs were born in January to a mother well-known to bear researchers. She's a Louisiana native, fitted with a tracking collar, that swam across the river in 2004.
Biologists first captured the sow in 2002 at Tensas National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Louisiana, fitted her with a radio telemetry collar and released her. In 2003, she was recaptured and relocated to Lake Ophelia National Wildlife Refuge about 25 miles southwest of Natchez in Louisiana as part of the LSU Black Bear Repatriation Project, which introduces bear into new habitat.

After raising a litter near Ophelia, she disappeared, said Shauna Ginger, a wildlife biologist with the Jackson office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Following a reported sighting of a collared bear in Mississippi, LSU biologists did a flyover and picked up her signal. They kept close tabs on her until her signal went stationary in January.
"That's a good sign that she had gone to den to have a litter" Ginger said. "A biologist from LSU went to Wilkinson County and tracked her on foot until he came within 20 yards of the den.

"He heard the cry of a baby and knew there was a litter," said Ginger. "He left without intruding and to form a team of us to go back."
When they returned, they found the litter, tranquilized the mother and tagged the cubs.

[jkm1272]

Spoke with Brad Young earlier today. He is a very sharp guy. He has a lot of information if anyone is confused on what is going on with the black bears.

[Josey Wales]

I would like to see it..however there are alot of stupid rednecks who would shoot the first bear they saw..educating the public would go along way in the success of reintroduction.

[h2o_dog]

From what I've been hearing the bears are coming back fairly well on their own. I know one was spotted recently very close to some family land in the north Tallahatchie foothills. I would prefer for the population to be restored naturally (without reintroducing foreign bears) if it is possible. Might take a little longer, but I just like the idea of an all-native bear population.

I agree on the importance of educating the redneck public not to shoot them.

[tennduckdog]

I lived in PA for a few years and they are a very good success story when it comes to the black bears. At the time the man in charge of their black bear program was Dr. Gary Alt. He is credited with the success of the bears in PA and is probably the most successful bear guy in the US. More recently, he took on the deer herd in PA, trying to manage the numbers through herd reduction of does and antler restrictions on bucks trying to get a more stable herd and a more varied age class of deer, but all the hilljacks up there want to shoot spikes and see 100 deer a day so the commission pressured him into leaving. Mississippi should look to him if they want someone who is really qualified in bear management, he is not working right now to my knowledge.

[BeastMaster]

would be interested in learning more about the bear myself..... what are its main staple.... do they eat little black babies.... i mean black berries.
what do they eat? would they do anything to regulate wild pigs ?

[mshunter77]

[Wingman]

[webfoot]

[Wingman]

Now that you mention it: Bear Seminar, Tuesday, April 5 at noon.

http://www.mdwfp.com/museum/html/news/d ... rticle=247

Should be very interesting.

[webfoot]

Wingman; already have it on my calendar.

[BeastMaster]

[webfoot]