JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Many Mississippi landowners and hunters will receive black bear surveys this week from Mississippi State University (MSU) researchers.

Sharp Professor of Human Dimensions Kevin Hunt in the MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center, in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), is conducting the surveys to better understand human/black bear interactions.

MDWFP Biologist Anthony Ballard said his agency hopes to use this study to help optimize public outreach to achieve the management goals of these bears in the state.

“The purpose of this study is to learn about Mississippi resident perceptions and attitudes toward black bears, experiences with them and opinions on their management; for landowners, whether they have had any property damage caused by black bears; and for hunters, whether they would participate in black bear hunting if their future population size increased to huntable levels,” stated hunt.

The study includes two separate surveys randomly mailed to 4,000 hunters and 4,000 landowners to gather an unbiased public perspective.

Once common in Mississippi, black bears nearly disappeared from the state in the early 1900s. While the exact population in Mississippi is unknown, it is thought to have increased over the last 25 years.

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