‘Largest ever’ bear hunted in Louisiana is taken down by Army combat vet, state says

A retired combat soldier and Purple Heart recipient is credited with taking down “the largest (bear) ever harvested in Louisiana,” according to state officials.

U.S. Army veteran Deron Santiny encountered the 696-pound bear during the state’s first sanctioned bear hunt in 35 years, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said in a Jan. 6 Facebook post.

That’s nearly 300 pounds more than “average” for male black bears in Louisiana, the state says.

The hunt was Dec. 17 in Tensas Parish, which is along the Mississippi River about a 140-mile drive north from Baton Rouge.

Santiny told McClatchy News the bear had been seen lumbering through the woods a day earlier.

“I knew he was gonna be big,” he said.

A video shows Satiny fired his first shot from about 100 yards away after the bear came out of the woods into an open area. It took three shots to be sure it was not going to get back up, he said.

He used a .375 Winchester supplied by the Healing Road Foundation, “a veteran-led group providing outdoor experiences to wounded veterans and their families.” The foundation also provided his hunting permit.

Santiny said he intends to share the hundreds of pounds meat with his family and friends, and will have a rug made from the hide.

Limited bear hunting made its official return to the state in December due to the bear population rebounding after three decades of protection, according to the state.

It was estimated as few as 400 roamed Louisiana in the 80s, due to overhunting, the state says. The number is now between 1,200 and 1,500.

Hunts are a way to control the still-growing population at a time when some parishes report they are “overrun with black bears.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 7:40 AM with the headline "‘Largest ever’ bear hunted in Louisiana is taken down by Army combat vet, state says."