LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas has had many nicknames in its history— the Natural State, the Diamond State, and yes even the Bear State!
However, according to Trey Reid with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the black bear was almost eliminated in Arkansas due to western expansion in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Places like Oil Trough got their name from, they rendered the bear fat and made oil out of it. The black bear is a huge part of Arkansas’s history and culture," Reid explained. "We were down to just a few dozen black bears left in the lower White River down where the White hits Arkansas and Mississippi. In fact, the state legislature outlawed bear hunting in 1927 because there were so few left.”
Nearly a century later, it’s become a much different story.
"The bears that were reintroduced into Arkansas have expanded in Missouri and Oklahoma are now just expanding and growing everywhere. It’s kind of a remarkable conservation success story,” said James Brandenburg, chapter chair for Arkansas Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
Today, there are over 5,000 bears in the state thanks to the Black Bear Restoration Program from 1958-1968. Arkansas backcountry hunters and anglers now partner with AGFC to keep those numbers steady.
“There’s a lot of pride and a lot of credit in that as Arkansans whether you’re a hunter or not. Having them on the landscape is a sign that we as a state and population value wild places and the wild critters that inhabit them,” he added.
The effort continues in 2024 as the BHA Arkansas chapter will host their annual Black Bear Bonanza on March 9th at the Bentonville Fairgrounds in Northwest Arkansas.
“You want to be there all day; we’d love to have you all day. You want to come for the morning or the afternoon? We’ve got stuff going on all day long,” Brandenburg said.
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