By Jackson Bain
While it might shock some people to see a black bear, in north Louisiana, it’s more common than one would imagine. With numerous sightings recently in Lincoln Parish and North Louisiana in general, black bears are something to be aware of.
Kevin Houston, a biologist at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, spotted one when he and his daughter were hunting on Youth Day north of Dubach. Houston’s father, who lives in Lincoln Parish, had told him eight Louisiana Black Bears had been spotted recently on hunting club trail cameras. Still, it was quite a sight to see in person.
“So the bear approached the pipe feeder we had and we looked at him through the scope,” Houston said. “We just enjoyed it and kind of laughed about it for a while. When he got hungry, it reached up and got some more corn and then sat back down for a little bit and just did that for about 45 minutes.”
Houston said the experience was more informative than frightening.
“It wasn’t scary. It was certainly interesting,” he said. “We enjoyed watching it. You know, I wouldn’t necessarily want to run into one in the dark, because it’s a pretty big animal, but at the time we certainly felt safe and didn’t have any issue with it. At one point in time it did walk toward us, I don’t know, it probably got within 50 yards or so. That was pretty neat.”
According to the LDWF, until recently the Louisiana Black Bear had been an endangered species. A big reason these sightings are occurring is because the Louisiana Black Bear is the state’s most recent conservation success story. As their population is increasing, a range expansion is occurring in parishes across the state.
“They’re moving westward from the Mississippi Corridor,” Houston said. “They’re moving west constantly, so their range is moving toward us.”
If you happen to see a black bear when in the woods, here are a few useful tips: Black bears are not typically aggressive. If you do encounter a black bear, slowly back away. If it sees you, back away slowly. Make yourself look bigger by lifting and waving your arms. Make loud noises like yelling or blow a whistle. Do not run and do not make eye contact. Instead, let the bear leave the area on its own.
