Deron Santiny with the 696-pound Louisiana black bear he harvested in Tensas Parish.
Deron Santiny grew up in Louisiana hunting and fishing and thought he had seen just about everything. That is until he witnessed a 696-pound male Louisiana black bear come sauntering out of the Tensas Parish woods not far from where he was housed in a deer stand.
Santiny, a Louisiana military veteran who grew up in Grand Isle and now lives in Lafayette, was on his first ever bear hunt last month courtesy of a permit he received from the Healing Road Foundation. Turns out his first hunt may have produced the biggest recorded harvested bear in Louisiana history.
“He came out, he looked like a Volkswagen Beetle coming out of the woods he was so big,’’ said Santiny, 54 and a Purple Heart recipient for injuries he sustained while serving in Iraq in 2005. “I just sat there. When he put his head down, I turned around and grabbed the rifle and the rest is history.’’
Santiny’s bear highlighted the recently concluded Louisiana black bear hunting season, the first in more than 35 years in the state. The hunt, administered by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), ran from Dec. 7-22, 2024. A total of 10 bears – eight males and two females – were harvested.
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.
Santiny’s bear, the largest harvested during the 2024 season, 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.
“Like Deron, I grew up hunting and fishing in Louisiana and I can only imagine the thrill he had when he saw that magnificent bear,’’ Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said. “To harvest what could be the biggest one in state history makes his story even better. And I’d like to thank the LDWF team and Healing Road Foundation for supporting our Louisiana veterans and bringing back this hunting tradition.”
“We began the process of bringing back the Louisiana black bear from near extinction more than 30 years ago, and this year’s harvest is another step in showing how successful we’ve been in that,” LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan said. “We are proud to give hunters and future hunters a chance to harvest a species once enjoyed by those who came before us. It’s a true testament to the importance of collaborative conservation.”
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.
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.