Can this Bear get any fatter?

PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
edited December 9, 2011 in Wildlife
We saw this Louisiana Black Bear several times last month--eating every acorn in sight to prepare for denning season. These bears are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species act, but the good news is that their population seems to be recovering, partly because it is now illegal to hunt them, and also because federal incentives have encouraged farmers to convert marginal farmland back into their hardwood forest habitat. There have been so many bear sightings this year that the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission recently alerted hunters to be on the lookout for them.

Best, Pam

20111122BlackBearAveryIsland-7-L.jpg

20111122BlackBearAveryIsland-1-L.jpg

20111122BlackBearAveryIsland-3-L.jpg



20111128BlackBearTracks-1-L.jpg

Comments

  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited December 6, 2011
    Wow. And southern bears don't even hibernate. He's pretty rolly-poly.
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  • DsrtVWDsrtVW Registered Users Posts: 1,991 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Looks like one of those Good ol Boy Bears. Healthy coat must be that southern cooking
    Nice shots Pam
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  • Dennis KaczorDennis Kaczor Registered Users Posts: 2,413 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Pam, this is a great series of the Black Bear, and man oh man is he/she fat looking. What I liked was seeing the bear tracks they are hugh in size.
    Regards - Dennis

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  • Ric GrupeRic Grupe Registered Users Posts: 9,522 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Very enjoyable posting, Pam. thumb.gifD
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    nice series...good looking bear, that would be one huge rug for a studio floor... and might just fill a large freezer with meat, but you said they cannot be hunted in LA so he is safe for now...but one nit...very small nit....you needed to place one of your extra $100 bills next to the prints so we would have something to really judge the size of it by :~}} LOl Laughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gif .....I try to carry a 6" plastic ruler in my cam bag when wildlife shooting...or scouting for a big buck in late summer....
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  • clearcreekclearcreek Registered Users Posts: 25 Big grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Great!
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Icebear wrote: »
    Wow. And southern bears don't even hibernate. He's pretty rolly-poly.

    No kidding, John! Here is what she (I think it is a female) looked like the first time we saw her. I've read that the bears may increase their weight by 40% preparing for denning, and she has convinced me!

    2011-L.jpg


    Best, Pam
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    DsrtVW wrote: »
    Looks like one of those Good ol Boy Bears. Healthy coat must be that southern cooking
    Nice shots Pam

    Thanks, Chris! I THINK it's a Good ol Girl Bear. We had a HUGE crop of acorns this year, and she sure didn't pass any up. I kind of doubt she has tasted much southern cooking, just because I have heard that once a bear has tasted crawfish etouffe from your garbage, it's hard to go back to acorns. And this one loves acorns.
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Dennis Kaczor wrote: »
    Pam, this is a great series of the Black Bear, and man oh man is he/she fat looking. What I liked was seeing the bear tracks they are hugh in size.

    Thanks, Dennis. Those bear tracks were large--and deep. It goes with being so chubby. :D
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Ric Grupe wrote: »
    Very enjoyable posting, Pam. thumb.gifD

    Thank you, Ric! I appreciate your taking time to look and comment! Best, Pam
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    Art Scott wrote: »
    nice series...good looking bear, that would be one huge rug for a studio floor... and might just fill a large freezer with meat, but you said they cannot be hunted in LA so he is safe for now...but one nit...very small nit....you needed to place one of your extra $100 bills next to the prints so we would have something to really judge the size of it by :~}} LOl Laughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gif .....I try to carry a 6" plastic ruler in my cam bag when wildlife shooting...or scouting for a big buck in late summer....

    Good idea, Art. The ruler, that is. Not the spare $100 bill. rolleyes1.gif Best, Pam
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 7, 2011
    clearcreek wrote: »
    Great!

    Thanks! Best, Pam
  • PacificklausPacificklaus Registered Users Posts: 118 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    Ursus mcdonaldensis?
    Really good shots, how close where you? These are not harmless animals, I assume?
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  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    Pacificklaus wrote: »
    Ursus mcdonaldensis?
    Really good shots, how close where you? These are not harmless animals, I assume?

    That's funny--this bear does look like it could have been dining at McDonald's, but I think its diet this year was just acorns. Louisiana Black Bears are not known for being aggressive towards people, but they are wild animals and can be unpredictable and dangerous if you get too close or they feel threatened. I took these photos with either a 400 mm from inside our car or a 500 mm on a tripod set up pretty close to our front door. As fat as that bear is, I have seen it scamper up a tree in the blink of an eye. And I have read that they can run 35 mph, which I cannot. In any case, we love seeing them occasionally, and try to protect them by not feeding them or getting so close that they lose their protective fear of humans. Best, Pam
  • SnowgirlSnowgirl Registered Users Posts: 2,155 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    Art Scott wrote: »
    nice series...good looking bear, that would be one huge rug for a studio floor... and might just fill a large freezer with meat, but you said they cannot be hunted in LA so he is safe for now...but one nit...very small nit....you needed to place one of your extra $100 bills next to the prints so we would have something to really judge the size of it by :~}} LOl Laughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gifLaughing.gif .....I try to carry a 6" plastic ruler in my cam bag when wildlife shooting...or scouting for a big buck in late summer....

    I was going to make the same comment about having a size reference for the footprints - a la CSI!
    rolleyes1.gif
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  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,962 moderator
    edited December 8, 2011
    Hope it's not just a steady diet of photographers. mwink.gif
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  • puzzledpaulpuzzledpaul Registered Users Posts: 1,621 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    ... I suspect 'yes' ... if it came across a pile of its fav. scoff, but am no bear expert :)

    What would a specimen such as this be likely to weigh?

    Thanks for the pics - no chance of seeing (anything remotely like) these locally :)

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  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    Snowgirl wrote: »
    I was going to make the same comment about having a size reference for the footprints - a la CSI!
    rolleyes1.gif

    Instead of CSI, it's PSI! Thanks for the suggestion, which I will adopt! Best, Pam
  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    puzzledpaul wrote: »
    ... I suspect 'yes' ... if it came across a pile of its fav. scoff, but am no bear expert :)

    What would a specimen such as this be likely to weigh?

    Thanks for the pics - no chance of seeing (anything remotely like) these locally :)

    pp

    Puzzledpaul, you asked a good question that now has us puzzled. My husband, Edmund, and I think the bear must have weighed around 400 pounds, which we estimated by comparing it to our chubbiest friend. And we have been thinking the bear was a female. But I looked up the weight range for these bears, and females range from 120 to 200 pounds normally. Males range from 200 to 400 pounds, but some large males weight 600 pounds or more. So, I guess this bear is either a gargantuan female, or a large male. We know the bears live on Avery Island, but they are nocturnal, so we very rarely see them. Our acorn crop was so huge this fall that I think we just got lucky.

    Best, Pam
  • puzzledpaulpuzzledpaul Registered Users Posts: 1,621 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    PGM wrote: »
    this bear is either a gargantuan female,

    So, if this was the case, and she got tangled up in an old sheet or something, would there be a Q like 'does my bum look big in this?' forthcoming ... :)

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  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    puzzledpaul wrote: »
    So, if this was the case, and she got tangled up in an old sheet or something, would there be a Q like 'does my bum look big in this?' at some stage :)

    pp

    I hope not! I think she's more likely to say (under pretty much any conditions), "Show me the acorns!"

    Best, Pam
  • dlplumerdlplumer Registered Users Posts: 8,081 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    Excellent set, Pam. That first one is great clap.gif
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  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 8, 2011
    dlplumer wrote: »
    Excellent set, Pam. That first one is great clap.gif

    Thanks so much, Dan! Merry Christmas! Best, Pam
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited December 9, 2011
    Excelelnt series Pam clap.gif
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  • PGMPGM Registered Users Posts: 2,007 Major grins
    edited December 9, 2011
    Thanks, Harry! I appreciate your cluing me in about exposure of black items, especially black bears! Merry Christmas. Best, Pam
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