Shot fired at ‘dark silhouette’ in night kills 200-pound predator, Louisiana cops say

A man shooting at a “dark silhouette” in the night has been accused of illegally killing a bear, according to investigators in south Louisiana.

It happened “on or about” Feb. 28 or March 1, near the 1,299-acre Palmetto Island State Park, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The park is about an 85-mile drive west from New Orleans.

The 50-year-old man “faces fines, potential jail time, and $10,000 in civil restitution for the bear’s replacement value,” department officials said in a March 21 news release.

“The female bear, estimated to be 10 years old and 200 pounds, was shot with a high-powered rifle,” officials said.

“(The man) admitted to shooting at a dark silhouette he believed to be a wild hog, failing to properly identify his target. He also lacked the required permissions and notifications for night hunting.”

Details of how the man was linked to the carcass were not released.

“He now faces multiple charges, including taking a bear during a closed season and failing to comply with hunting regulations,” the state says.

The bear was larger than average for females in Louisiana, which typically range from 120 to over 180 pounds, experts say.

Louisiana’s black bears were considered endangered until 2016, when numbers grew large enough to remove them from the endangered species list, the state says.

“In 2024, LDWF held the first regulated black bear hunting season in over 35 years, with 11 tags issued and 10 bears legally harvested. The 2025 season will expand to 26 tags from Dec. 6-21,” the state says.

U.S. Army veteran Deron Santiny participated in that hunt and killed a 696-pound bear that was named “the largest (bear) ever harvested in Louisiana,” state officials said.

This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 8:20 AM with the headline "Shot fired at ‘dark silhouette’ in night kills 200-pound predator, Louisiana cops say."