Like many of you, I saw the post. Someone in our area killed one of our black bears and bragged about it on social media. I have not stopped thinking about it.
I don’t know whether this kill was legal. Arkansas does have a bear season, and it has rules. A hunter needs a hunting license and a separate bear permit. They can only hunt during the open season in an open zone. They have to check the bear with Game & Fish within 12 hours. And they’re expected not to take a mother with cubs. Hunters who follow those rules are part of how our bear population is managed.
Killing a bear outside those rules is poaching. In Arkansas, wildlife violations can bring heavy fines, jail time, the loss of hunting privileges for years, and an order to pay restitution for the animal. If you know something about a bear taken illegally, please call the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission’s Turn In Poachers line at (800) 482-9262. You don’t have to give your name. The officers are the ones who can find out what actually happened.
Legal or not, I’ll still say this. We almost lost these animals once. By the 1940s, Arkansas, once called “The Bear State,” had only about 25 bears left. Starting in 1958, Game & Fish brought in about 260 bears from Minnesota and Canada. Researchers call it one of the most successful large carnivore comebacks in the world. The bears in our hills are here because of decades of patience and work.
A life like that deserves respect, not a victory lap online. Our neighbors are grieving, and so am I.
Jackie Wolven