LITTLE ROCK — Hunters killed 393 bears in Arkansas during last year's hunting season, and the head of state's large carnivore program says bear hunting may return to southern Arkansas some day.
Myron Means said 256 male bears and 137 female bears were killed last year, with archery accounting for more than 75 percent.
After increased bear sightings in southern Arkansas, Means told members of the state Game and Fish Commission last week that researchers want to know if the area could support a bear season. He said that, for now, it's hard to estimate the bear population because a bear visiting multiple areas could be counted multiple times.
Means said if bear hunting returns to the Gulf Coastal Plain one day but that it would be very limited.