Wildlife Management

Wildlife Management Black Bear Ecology and Management of the Louisiana Black Bear For more information, in Mississippi contact: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Mississippi State University Extension Service Box 9690 Mississippi State, MS 39762 Phone: (662) 325-3174 E-mail: [email protected] or Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks 2148 Riverside Drive Jackson, MS 39202 (601) 354-7303 Ecology, and Management of the Louisiana Black Bear Black bears hold a prominent place in the history by Europeans during the early 1800s. Bears were and folklore of people in the southeastern United important to Native Americans, explorers, and settlers States. During a bear hunting trip around Onward, as a source of food, fur, and oil. Mississippi, in the early 1900s, President Theodore In Mississippi, a game survey in 1929 reported Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that had been bears in northeast and north-central Mississippi and captured and tied to a tree. A journalist traveling with along the Pearl River. Statewide protection of bears the hunting party penned the phrase “Teddy’s Bear.” was implemented in 1932, and at that time, fewer than Black bears, once common in the Lower Mississippi 12 animals were believed to exist in Mississippi. Three River Valley (LMRV), have been reduced to an estimat- pairs of bears were released in separate localities in ed population of fewer than 500. Since the turn of the 1934-35; this release was determined unsuccessful. twentieth century, bear habitat has been significantly In 1976, the last breeding population in the state was reduced or eliminated throughout much of the LMRV documented in Issaquena County. A statewide region. Unrestricted and illegal harvests are among the population inventory by the Mississippi Game and Fish reasons for their reductions. Commission in 1978 reported bears as “uncommon” Many people believe the downward trend in bear in 20 counties. population numbers can be reversed, and they are The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science collec- working actively to restore the black bears. The Black tion includes 14 bears killed in Mississippi between Bear Conservation Committee, a broad-based coalition 1972 and 1994. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, comprised of agencies, industry, academia, and land- Fisheries and Parks estimates 25 to 50 bears are owners, is increasing awareness regarding challenges scattered in the Mississippi, Pearl, and Pascagoula and needs presented by the plight of black bears in east drainages. Several bears are regularly sighted in the Texas, southeast Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. extreme southwestern part of the state, including Attitudes of people in the LMRV will help determine Wilkinson County and along the Mississippi River from the black bear’s future. If restoration is to be Rolling Fork to north of Greenville. successful, it is because public and private sectors are In Mississippi, legal hunting of black bears was working toward a common goal of balancing humans closed in 1932. In 1974, the black bear was placed on and black bears. the first list of rare and threatened vertebrates of Mississippi, and in 1984 was classified as endangered in Mississippi. The civil penalty for violating the State History and Endangered Species Law is $1,000, or imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or both. Current Status The Louisiana black bear (luteolus) was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1992 as federally The American black bear (Ursus americanus) was threatened and, although bears in Arkansas north of once found throughout North America from Alaska and the Louisiana/Arkansas border were excluded from this Canada south to northern Mexico; currently 16 sub- list, the historic range of luteolus includes southern species are recognized. Those animals found from east Arkansas. The bear population in and around the Texas through Louisiana and southern Mississippi are White River National Wildlife Refuge is considered as considered to be the Louisiana black bear (Ursus amer- “expanding and healthy.” icanus luteolus). The bears in southeast Arkansas in The decline of black bears in the LMRV region can the White River National Wildlife Refuge are genetically be attributed to human disturbance, illegal kill, and similar to the Louisiana black bear. habitat loss. The original 25 million acres of bottom- Historic references report bears in the LMRV land hardwoods in the LMRV region were reduced reached peak abundance and were “widespread and to 5 million by 1980. Because of the low reproductive common” in the bottomland hardwoods of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya drainages before settlement 3 rate of black bears, the effect of illegal kill, especially Bears do not eat, drink, urinate, or defecate of females, is a serious concern. during the denning sleep. Waste products are recycled as a result of unique metabolic and physiological processes. Most bears are easily aroused if disturbed Ecology while denning. Denning activity is influenced by food availability, Description age, sex, reproductive condition, day length, and weath- Black bears are black with a brown muzzle and occa- er. Interruption of denning period or changes in den sionally will have a white blaze on the chest. Adult sites during the denning period may be caused by males weigh from 200 to 400 pounds, and adult human disturbance, flooding, changing weather condi- females weigh from 120 to 200 pounds. Body lengths tions, and poor concealment of ground dens. for both sexes vary from 3 to 6 feet from nose to tail. Bears in the LMRV region are more active in winter Bears have good reasoning ability, long-term memo- months than are the bears found in more northern ry, dexterity and speed, tremendous strength, and are latitudes. Male bears, in particular, may be more active elusive. They are considered to be adaptable animals. in winter; some males may bed for a few days or weeks in one area before moving to a new bedding Reproduction site. Pregnant female bears usually prefer den sites that Female black bears typically begin having cubs at the are secure and inaccessible, and when available, will age of 3 to 5 years. Two-year-old bears may produce select large, hollow trees that are dry, insulated, and young where habitat quality and food resources are secure. excellent. Females in poor-quality habitats may not produce young until 7 years of age, and food shortages Movements during the previous year may decrease litter size. Monitoring bear movements reveals that bears are the Mating usually occurs during summer, with egg most active from dusk through dawn, although daytime implantation delayed for about 5 months following mat- activity is not unusual. In forested cover, bears often ing. Cubs are born in winter dens in January and use “daybeds,” which are usually shallow, unlined February. Twins are most common, but litter sizes may depressions scratched in the ground or leaves. Mothers range from one to five. Cubs are helpless at birth, are with cubs often rest at the base of trees; if disturbed, about 8 inches long, and weigh from 8 to 12 ounces. she can send the cubs up the tree, then climb the tree The sex ratio at birth is usually 1 male to 1 female. with them, or leave the area alone. Bears also rest in Cubs grow rapidly, and by the time the mother and the crown or lower branches of a tree. cubs leave the den in April or May, the cubs weigh 4 to Male bears often move two to eight times the 8 pounds. Cubs stay with the mother for the first year distances that females move. Home ranges, or the land and share a den the first winter following their birth. areas used annually or periodically, vary by year and They emerge with the mother again in the spring and season. Home-range size is influenced by sex, popula- stay together until summer, when the family unit tion density, age, food availability, and reproductive sta- dissolves. During mild winters, the family unit may stay tus. Male home ranges typically increase during the active through the winter. After the family unit dis- summer mating season, and in the fall, bears move more solves, the female goes into estrus, breeds, and the often when foraging heavily to build winter fat reserves. cycle is repeated. Bear activity and movement center on meeting habitat needs (year-round) and finding mates (breeding Denning season). Estimates of home-range sizes indicate adult Black bears are not true hibernators. They go through males may use more than 40,000 acres, and adult a winter dormancy period called carnivorean lethargy females may use up to 18,000 acres. Older male bears or torpor, which includes denning for periods of time exert social pressure on younger bears, particularly during winter, at which time normal body metabolism during the breeding season, forcing them to disperse changes dramatically. This torpor aids in survival during to other areas. food shortages and severe winter weather conditions. Research indicates bears frequently use uncleared The onset of denning in the Deep South is from late drains, ditches, bayous, and river banks when moving November to early January. Activity and movements across open land from one forested area to another. decrease greatly during this period, and bears enter These travel corridors are particularly important to “predens” or “nests,” or may directly enter the den adult and juvenile males that reside in a landscape 4 where they will spend the winter. composed of fragmented forestland and large agricultural fields. Travel corridors of brush and trees as nar- row as 50 yards across have been used by bears to pass Habitat through agricultural areas, but the wider the better. Requirements Mobility of bears, particularly young, dispersing The Louisiana black bear lives primarily in relatively males, puts them at considerable risk.

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