Somebody talk to me

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

My 12 year old son took this pic last week about 100 yards from my house and I live about two miles outside the Starkville city limits. That's his footprint just below the track for scale. Track is probably 6-7" long and about 4" wide at the toes. Any thoughts to an ID? I've been racking my wildlife degree knowledge and the only thing I can come up with I really didn't think inhabited this area. I sent it to MDWFP earlier and hope to hear from them tomorrow, but I'm impatient. For the record, I did not see the track. He finally remembered to tell me about it this evening and by now it's gone.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Definitely The Whistler

 

[Bullldawg78]

Call the BFRO!
www.bfro.net

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Black bear hind foot print.

View attachment 24542

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Looks like a wild Hadad

 

[BossDawg78]

Black bear hind foot print.

View attachment 24542

Definitely this.

 

[Shmuley]

Altra Lone Peak 4. Size 10.

 

[WilCoDawg]

I thought they were the land sharks now.***

 

[HD6]

I got small feet.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Definitely this.

I lived a couple of miles outside of Starkville for 13 years. Never saw one but it's prime habitat for one. I thought they were only in the Delta.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

panthersquatch.

 

[peewee.sixpack]

I lived a couple of miles outside of Starkville for 13 years. Never saw one but it's prime habitat for one. I thought they were only in the Delta.

They will roam hundreds of miles, especially dispersing juveniles. It isn't uncommon to find them passing through about any county now days.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

There’s so many jokes I could run with…

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

They’re in south ms too

 

[HotMop]

I lived a couple of miles outside of Starkville for 13 years. Never saw one but it's prime habitat for one. I thought they were only in the Delta.

They are all over the Florida Panhandle, people post videos of them probably once a week tearing into stuff.

 

[ClintonInHelen]

I’d hit it…

 

[onewoof]

Black bear hind foot print.

View attachment 24542

not so fast my friend

View attachment 24544

 

[ClintonInHelen]

I’d hit it…

 

[Hugh's Burner Phone]

panthersquatch.

Just as long as it isn't manbearpig.

 

[tatedog]

i hate to say it, but what you have on your hands here sir is a Starkville ginny pig.

 

[Mobile Bay]

Nah, they are all over Alabama now. They have spread well. Some in north Florida too.

 

[Dawgbite]

I saw two bear Cubs while deer hunting about 20 years ago. Was in NE Ms probably 75 miles further north than Starkville. Nobody believes me because bears don’t live here. They were probably 300 yards away but I watched them through my scope for probably 30 minutes. I could hear them as well. Nobody believes me but I watched enough Mutual of Omaha’s wild Kingdom to know what a bear is when I see one.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

Nah, they are all over Alabama now. They have spread well. Some in north Florida too.

The little bastards will be all over Hattiesburg next weekend.

 

[aTotal360]

I have to say the quality of Altras has gone down hill since they were purchased by the conglomerate that owns North Face. I continue buying them, but damn they fall apart quickly now.

 

[IPMdawg]

I had to take mammalogy as an elective at State. I think I remember this correctly. Mississippi has three subspecies of black bear in the state but two are pretty rare. The Louisiana black bear is the resident population in the Delta and south MS. There can be visits from the Florida black bear on the Mississippi coast and the American black bear in the northeast corner of the state around Tishomingo.

 

[peewee.sixpack]

I had to take mammalogy as an elective at State. I think I remember this correctly. Mississippi has three subspecies of black bear in the state but two are pretty rare. The Louisiana black bear is the resident population in the Delta and south MS. There can be visits from the Florida black bear on the Mississippi coast and the American black bear in the northeast corner of the state around Tishomingo.

Originally the Louisiana black bear was our native subspecies. The American black bear was typically found in Arkansas but would occasionally venture into MS. Now the bulk of our bears are American black bears. The two subspecies interbreed and there was actually relocation b/w both the species in the past to increase the population. The main difference is the Louisiana black bear is a little smaller and the slope of the skull. A female American black bear crossed the MS in the mid-2000’s and started the repopulation efforts of the bears we see today. We also get numerous dispersing males from Tensas NWR every year.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

The black bear population is higher now than when Columbus got here, I think. A true conservation success story. I may be misremembering the Bear Grease and Bear Hunting podcast, but I think that’s what Clay Newcomb said. Those are good listens by the way.

 

[peewee.sixpack]

View attachment 24547View attachment 24548This is her and the male that bred her.

 

[Dawgg]

Altra Lone Peak 4. Size 10.

Running hipster in Vibrams. Judging by the toe spread, he's been doing it for a while. Probably on a paleo diet.

 

[Dawg_4_lifes]

That is bigfoot! Call Mike Leach.