The first Louisiana black bear hunting season in more than 35 years successfully concluded Sunday (Dec. 22) and included a 696-pound adult male bear harvested by Louisiana military veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Deron Santiny, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced. The bear was the largest harvested in Louisiana during the season and the biggest observed in recent department history.
“I could not be prouder of the efforts of Secretary Sheahan and the entire LDWF team for making this black bear season a reality for the first time in over 35 years. Congratulations to each of the hunters who successfully harvested bears, especially to Louisiana military veteran Deron Santiny. Deron harvested the potential largest bear in state history, coming in at 696 pounds,” said Governor Jeff Landry. “Louisiana is finally back on the map for bear hunting, and we are only going to grow from here!”
A total of 10 bears – eight males and two females - were harvested in the special season, which was administered by LDWF, and ran from Dec. 7-22. The season, in which 11 hunting permits were distributed, included Bear Management Area 4, made up of Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll parishes and portions of Richland, Franklin, and Catahoula parishes. Of the 10 bears, one 490 pound male bear and one 383 pound male bear were harvested in North Madison parish near where Teddy Roosevelt camped in his successful Louisiana bear hunt in 1907.
“We are so excited about the success of this historic black bear season and proud of the many efforts of our department, hunters, private landowners, and partners to bring back this treasured Louisiana species,” said LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan. “Providing hunters in our state a chance at harvesting a bear for the first time this century is a big win for conservation, and to see our hunters have such great success with a military veteran harvesting a potential record-breaking bear is indicative of many prosperous black bear seasons to come.”
Santiny’s bear was taken in Tensas Parish and is believed to be in its late teens to early 20s. LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks said it is the largest bear he has seen in Louisiana, topping a 608-pound bear that was killed in a vehicle accident. Louisiana adult male black bears generally grow to between 450-550 pounds. The bear will be measured after the 60-day waiting period for Boone and Crockett scoring.
Santiny was the recipient of a hunting permit from the Healing Road Foundation. The foundation was able to raffle a harvest permit for the 2024 season designated for a Louisiana military veteran.
The Healing Road Foundation is a veteran-founded and managed organization dedicated to providing life-changing outdoor experiences to wounded veterans, survivors and their children to help reconnect families and lead them on a path to rehabilitation and healing. Through partnering with the Healing Road Foundation, LDWF is able to give back to those who have served our country and advance black bear management efforts to provide more hunting opportunities to sportsmen of Louisiana.
All black bear lottery fees and license revenue will be reinvested directly into the Louisiana Black Bear Program. These funds will assist LDWF biologists in continuing to conduct bear management operations such as annual live trapping and radio-collaring of bears, winter den checks to monitor reproductive rates, and non-invasive hair sampling to monitor range expansion.
The Louisiana black bear is one of the state’s most recent conservation success stories. The animal was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many stakeholders to monitor black bear population numbers, restore habitat and protect the bear for the long term, it was removed from the list in 2016.
For more information on Healing Road Foundation, go to https://www.thehealingroad.org/.
For more information on the management of the Louisiana black bear, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_oXGkwDUA.
For more information on the Louisiana black bear, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/louisiana-black-bear. And for more information on the black bear hunting lottery, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/black-bear-hunting-lottery.