A massive black bear was harvested in Louisiana last month, and the harvest may be a record-setter.
According to Whiskey Riff, the man who harvested the gigantic bear is named Deron Santiny. Santiny is a Purple Heart veteran and served in the Iraq War. Santiny began hunting after returning home from the war, and "fell in love with the therapeutic benefits nature can provide."
Interestingly, Santiny's bear tag was one of only eleven handed out by the state for the season. In Louisiana, bear hunting had been outlawed since the late 1980s. Moreover, the black bear population in the state fell beneath the threatened category of the Endangered Species Act. In 2016, Louisiana black bears were finally removed from the list, in large part to some successful conservation efforts.
Santiny's tag was first given to the Healing Road Foundation. The Healing Road Foundation is one of several that focuses on providing wounded veterans and their families with high-quality experiences in the outdoors. When the organization reached out to Santiny, offering the tag, the veteran "kindly accepted."
Purple Heart Veteran Harvests Massive Black Bear With Coveted Louisiana Tag
The hunt itself took place on December 17th. Santiny grabbed his .375 Winchester rifle, and found his way into the stand early in the morning. After a slow start, the veteran decided to switch stands. Such was a great decision, as it was toward the end of the evening when the black bear stepped out of the timber.
While Santiny's bear was certainly the largest of which was harvested in Louisiana in 2024, nine other tags were also filled. Quick math tells us that only one of the eleven that were handed out by the state remained unfilled at the season's close.
Santiny and his bear have garnered plenty of public attention in the weeks since the hunt,. The animal, which officially weighed in 696 pounds, is estimated to be quite old. Reportedly, it is assumed the critter is in its late teens, to early twenties. Regardless, the beast is a wonderful symbol of a successful first bear season in Louisiana in decades.