U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Delists Louisiana Black Bear

by
posted on March 17, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ahwire_ah2015_fs.jpg

After 24 years of dedicated recovery efforts, the black bear is back in the bayou. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that it would be removing the Louisiana black bear from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

A proposal to delist the black bear was submitted last May, and spent most of the ensuing year in review. The decision to delist the species was published in the Federal Register on March 11, 2016. The announcement marks the end of the Louisiana black bear's 24-year run on the list. It is a subspecies of black bear unique to Louisiana, western Mississippi and eastern Texas.

Efforts to restore the bear's population required the assistance of many of the region's farmers and landowners. The majority of the Louisiana black bear's habitat falls on private lands, where the U.S. Department of Agriculture worked with farmers to restore more than 485,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forests. When the bear was listed in 1992, as few as 150 were estimated to be in Louisiana. Today, up to 750 bears are believed to live across the species' current range.

The Louisiana black bear has its own place in history, of course, because of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was the species of bear that he famously spared in 1902, which led to a political cartoon that would inspire the birth of the teddy bear.

For more information, go to FWS.gov.

Latest

True Shooting Doves
True Shooting Doves

A Shotgun for All Seasons: Savage Renegauge in Argentina

If you want to test a shotgun’s reliability and recoil control, you take it on a high-volume hunt. If you want that trial to more resemble torture than test, you make that a high-volume Argentina dove hunt. Read on to find out how the Savage Renegauge performed.

NRA Names Kyle Lamb as Brand Ambassador for America’s Rifle Challenge

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) proudly announces Sergeant Major (Ret.) Kyle Lamb as a Brand Ambassador for the NRA America’s Rifle Challenge (ARC), an innovative training and competition program built around the safe and effective use of the AR-15 platform.

#SundayGunday: Banish 46-V2

On this week's #SundayGunday, we're talking about suppressors, specifically the Banish 46-V2, capable of taming nearly every gun in your safe, up to and including the big boys like .338 Lapua.

KelTec Named Official Stage Sponsor for 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is proud to announce KelTec as an official sponsor of the 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship, returning to Camp Atterbury, Ind., from September 30 to October 4, 2025.

Thompson/Center Arms Celebrating 60th Anniversary

Thompson/Center Arms is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025. Since 1965, T/C Arms has built a legacy rooted in the pioneering spirit of American hunters.

Federal Ammunition Awards 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships

Federal Ammunition recently awarded the 2025 Tom Knapp Memorial Scholarships to two 4-H shooting sports teen ambassadors: Lucy Evans from Georgia and John Bruner from Pennsylvania.

Interests



Get the best of American Hunter delivered to your inbox.