By Jim Lancaster

They're back - black bears that once were so numerous in frontier Arkansas that the state was known as the "Bear State" are once again increasing in number.  They nearly disappeared for many years - experts say the near extinction of the Arkansas Black Bear was caused by over hunting for the sale of bear oil and meat. 

 "The bear population in Arkansas was estimated to be 50,000 when Arkansas became a state, and bears were so plentiful that they were hunted commercially.  But they were nearly wiped out by the early 20th century, when the population got down to about 40-50 bears, mostly in the White River Refuge area," said Rick Eastridge, Bear Program Coordinator for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

 "Bear sightings are once again becoming frequent throughout the state where there is habitat to support them," Eastridge continued.  "We estimate the population to be back to about 3500 now; most of that population is in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountain regions and in the Delta."

 "To help supplement the native bear population, the Commission has restocked many areas of the state with bears, trapped in Canada and Minnesota and transported to Arkansas," Eastridge explained.   "A restocking program in the 1950's and ‘60's has been one of the nations most successful - about  250 were restocked, and where the habitat and food supply is adequate in a release area, we have had good experience with the stocked bears staying where they were released." 
 
 "The average Arkansas male bear weighs about 200 pounds, but can be as large as 500 pounds, and the average female weighs 150 to 200 pounds - their weight varies up to 100 pounds during the year because they lose a lot of weight during hibernation.  And, they are capable of living up to 30 years if there is good habitat," Eastridge remarked. 

 "All of the bears in Arkansas are ‘Black Bears' even thought some of them are not black in color," the expert said laughingly.  "Some black bears are brown or cinnamon in color leading some hunters to think they might be a different species.   We are often asked if there are ‘Grizzlies' in Arkansas, but there are none."

 "Afraid of bears - there is a lot of unnecessary fear of bears because many people believe they will attack people without being provoked.  But, unless a person gets in between a sow bear and her cubs, a black bear will typically not attack a human - they are afraid of people and will usually run away.  Bears may huff, hiss or snap their teeth at a person that threatens them or their cubs, but they rarely attack.  I can slap my hands and yell at them and they always run," Eastridge replied, in answering questions in a civic club program. "I've even crawled into their den for our reproductive surveys and have never been attacked." 

 "Tales about bears and bear attacks have made it into our books and movies - even humorous tales have been recorded in our history," said Grant County historian Elwin Goolsby.  "In one of my books I write about ‘Bear Tales' of early Arkansas."
 "How about this tale!" laughed Goolsby.  "Farmer Jim Cunningham was having problems with bears raiding his corn patch.  He got tired of this and one night he mixed a jar of honey with a gallon of whiskey and placed it out in the corn field for the bear to drink.  The next morning he found the bear lying by the rail fence, laying there upside down with all four feet in the air, playing with his toes.  Cunningham shot the drunken bear and stopped the corn stealing."

In spite of the tales and scary stories, the bear biologists say black bears prefer to stay away from people, they like remote, heavily forested areas, impenetrable thickets and canebrakes along rivers and streams -but in some cases, they have adapted to being around people - it is usually the people that can't adapt to being around bears.

In the summer, bears may sleep in trees or on the ground, and during denning time, they will use any sheltered spot, such as caves or hollow trees, and they may construct a bed of grass, leaves, and twigs.

Black bears prefer feeding in the early morning or late evening, although they are active at night. The bulk of the black bear's diet in the summer is vegetable matter, such as fruits and berries; in the fall, they feed on seeds and nuts. Black bears will also eat ants and other insects, fish, frogs, small rodents, dead animals and even other dead bears - they may find a food source, feed on it, then cover it and return to feed again later.

Researchers say the home range for the black bear is not one large area, but several small feeding areas connected by traveling paths. The female's home range is about 2.5 to 10 square miles, and the male's is 10 to 40 square miles. The male's home range will overlap the home range of several females and bears may scar trees to mark their range.

Black bears are not very sociable within the species. They sometimes become aggressive around feeding sites and during mating time, and antagonistic bears frequently rear up on their hind legs and wrestle - at such times, there are instances where severe fights have occurred.

Black bears walk with a lumbering gait and can run short distances at speeds of 35 miles per hour. They may stand up on their hind legs to get a better view or smell of the surroundings. They are well-adapted for climbing and they descend a tree rear end first. They can swim well and have been known to swim up to five miles - they have poor eyesight, but excellent hearing and sense of smell. Unlike most carnivores, the lips of the black bear are not attached to the gums, therefore they are not very vocal, but at times may grunt, mumble, squeak, roar, or moan and the young have been heard to whimper.

The reproductive cycle of black bears is over 2 years. Female black bears reach sexual maturity at about three years of age with some variation. Mating time in Arkansas is in May to early June. Copulation is similar to that of the canine family in that the female will mate with several males and after mating, males and females go their separate ways. Females normally mate in alternate years and after a gestation period of about seven months, the cubs are born in January or February.

Black bears undergo delayed implantation, which means the fertilized ovum will divide a few times, and then float freely in the uterus for about six months without developing. Around denning time, the embryo will implant in the uterine wall and after a period of about eight weeks, the cubs will be born while the mother is still in hibernation. Delayed implantation serves an important survival process for the mother because if she fails to gain enough fat to carry her through the winter, the embryo will not implant and is then reabsorbed by her body.

After birth, the cubs feed on the mother's milk, which is very rich in fat. The litter size will vary from one to five cubs, with two being the norm and the cubs are born very small, weighing only about six to eight ounces. They are blind, toothless, and covered with fine hair - they open their eyes, cut teeth, are well-furred, and weigh about two pounds at six weeks of age. At the age of two months, the cubs leave the den with their mother and continue to nurse through their first summer. They may den with the mother the following winter where some young bears stay with their litter mates through the second summer Hibernation of bears is an interesting study.  Biologists say that Arkansas black bears usually begin denning in November and December but do not go into "true" hibernation. But in this winter period, their body metabolism drops only 40 to 50 percent; their temperature drops seven to eight degrees; and their heart rate drops from 40 to 50 beats per minute to eight to nineteen beats. Their body weight loss is 20 to 27 percent. Arkansas black bears are less lethargic than northern black bears and may become active in the winter months. Male black bears hibernate alone while females may have cubs with them. Arkansas black bears leave the den in early April and at that time some may exhibit extreme thirst and hunger.

 "Bear sightings frequently create excitement, especially if one is reported near a residential area of a city.  We recently had to trap a bear in the Heights neighborhood of west Little Rock. A sighting near the Cantrell Road and I-430 interchange resulted in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission being called to help capture the bear. I shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart - the bear was tagged and data collected before it was released into the Ouachita Mountains," said Eastridge, the bear biologist of the Game & Fish Commission. 

 "Bear hunting is also coming back in Arkansas - we have fall hunting seasons for bears, with seasons for archery, muzzle loaders and modern guns. Bag limit is one (1) by any method," Eastridge said.  "There are quotas that we hope to achieve for different parts of the state that are based on the estimated bear population of that region, and hunters should remember that it is unlawful to take a bear if it is being pursued or treed by dogs."

Current statistics show that about 200 bears are now legally harvested each year by Arkansas hunters. Besides utilizing the fur, bear meat is considered highly palatable by many fanciers of wild game.  Black bear hunting license and harvest information can be found at www.agfc.com or at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission office.
 The biologists say bear populations depend mostly on habitat and sound hunting practices.  According to Eastridge, the Arkansas habitat is great and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is committed to keeping the bear hunting from getting out of control again.

Hopefully the Arkansas Black Bear will continue to survive and make their home in the "Natural State," a state formerly known as the "Bear state."