‘She chewed it up with her mouth and shook it and made sure it was dead. I was not expecting that.’

Brian Broom

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Dec. 18, 2025, 4:50 a.m. CT

• A Mississippi hunter shot a bobcat and witnessed a black bear attack the dead animal.
• The mother bear appeared to be teaching her cubs that the bobcat was no longer a threat.
• The hunter noted that the local black bear population in Mississippi is visibly increasing.

A Mississippi man was deer hunting in Sharkey County when he got the opportunity to harvest a bobcat, but before he went to recover it, a black bear attacked the dead animal.

“It was Nov. 27 about 4:20 (p.m.),” said Kade Lott, who lives near Rolling Fork. “I noticed this small cat walking about 40 yards in front of me.

“I saw the short tail and said, ‘Wow, that’s a bobcat.’ I’d never killed a bobcat.”

Lott shot the bobcat, but stayed in his stand and continued to hunt. About 20 minutes later, things got interesting.

Lott said a black bear cub walked into view and stepped on the bobcat. It scared the cub and the little bear ran to a tree and climbed up. All the while, the cub was making a humming sound.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

“It’s hard to explain,” Lott said. “It was a unique noise.”

The little bear’s mother was not far away and charged into view with another cub. The mother bear grabbed the bobcat with her mouth.

“She chewed it up with her mouth and shook it and made sure it was dead,” Lott said. “I was not expecting that.

“You think bears just eat berries or whatever they eat, but you wouldn’t think they would attack a bobcat. I was astonished.”

Satisfied the bobcat was dead, the mother bear carried it to her cubs, who were both in a tree at that point, as if to show them it was no longer a threat.

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Lott said the bear dropped the bobcat and she and her cubs stayed in the area until Lott’s sister and her boyfriend, who were hunting nearby, came to pick up Lott.

“The bear eased off into the woods, and I was able to get down from the stand and go home,” Lott said.

More: Mississippi’s bear population is growing. What are they good for and why do we want more?

Mississippi’s bear population is growing

Lott said at no point did he feel concerned about the encounter because he’s familiar with bears. In fact, he had seen the sow with her cubs before.

He said there are about 16 on the property. Lott said he lives not far from Onward and knows of two more bears in that area and their numbers are growing.

Lott said he has lived and hunted in the area his entire life and never saw a bear until five years ago.

“The numbers are increasing as it’s going,” Lott said.

So, for him, it was an exciting experience.

“It was incredible,” Lott said. “It was just a cool experience. These creatures are amazing.”Bears are on the move in Mississippi: Here’s what to know and do if you see one

MS wildlife department says hunters need to be bear aware

Although it’s currently not known how many black bears are in Mississippi, it’s clear the population is increasing and that means the chances of encountering one are increasing, too.

So, with hunting in full swing and thousands of hunters in the woods, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is asking hunters to be aware of bears and take steps to avoid unwanted encounters and conflicts.

Following are some recommendations from the MDWFP if you’re hunting in an area with bears.

• If you see a bear, stay calm and watch from a distance. If you have one approach too close, loud noises and big movements will encourage it to leave.⁠
• If you shoot a deer with bears nearby, try to dispatch and recover your deer in as short a time and distance as possible. Bears can sometimes learn to associate gun shots with free meals. ⁠
• If you think a bear has found your deer, recover your deer with a partner and/or vehicle. ⁠
• Carry bear spray. It is legal to use lethal force to defend yourself against a bear, although it’s extremely rare, but bear spray has been shown to be more effective. It’s harder to miss with bear spray and can be used more safely. ⁠
• Taking any food, drinks and scents out of your stand or blind after each hunt can help keep a curious bear from investigating and possibly causing damage. ⁠
• Remove foam padded seats when possible. The foam used in many seat cushions smell like the scent given off by insect larvae. Bears will target foam seats for this reason. ⁠
• If possible, bury your deer carcasses instead of leaving them for scavengers. The smell can draw bears for an easy meal.

Default Mono Sans Mono Serif Sans Serif Comic Fancy Small CapsDefault X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-LargeDefault Outline Dark Outline Light Outline Dark Bold Outline Light Bold Shadow Dark Shadow Light Shadow Dark Bold Shadow Light BoldDefault Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Default Black Silver Gray White Maroon Red Purple Fuchsia Green Lime Olive Yellow Navy Blue Teal Aqua OrangeDefault 100% 75% 50% 25% 0%Spanish Fort provides update on neighborhood coyote traps

By Hal Scheurich

Published: Dec. 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM PST

SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) – The city of Spanish Fort has seen some success in its effort to trap and remove coyotes from one neighborhood. The city agreed to a contract with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in that effort after receiving many complaints about residents’ pets being killed or injured in coyote attacks.

Two coyotes were trapped and removed from Spanish Fort Estates in the first two weeks of November. It was early October when the city signed on with the USDA to combat a growing number of coyote attacks on pets.

The main problem area is on the west side of the subdivision where the neighborhood borders dense woods and a powerline. At that time, residents there told FOX10 News they were happy the problem was being addressed.

“People with small pets, especially cats have had them go missing and in fact, last year our neighbor, his cat was attacked in his front yard and unfortunately, he did not survive,” recalled Ginny Brewer while out walking her dog, Barnabas.

There was an initial delay in putting the traps out because of the federal government shutdown but the early success is a promising sign to some. Spanish Fort mayor, Brad Bass had not yet taken office when the decision was made to crack down on the varmints but supports the effort.

“It’s not their natural habitat but eventually they start creeping in on some space where obviously there’s folks living and residing and families and kids and pets and that kind of thing so I think this will go a long way at least in putting their minds at ease that at least something’s being done to help out in that regard,” said Bass.

Even with the positive results, some longtime residents, like Charles Ketell are skeptical of how effective the trapping can be. He’s concerned new, nuisance coyotes will move in as quick as others are trapped out or they’ll wise up to the traps and move on.

“I think you’re just going to make them more wary, and they may feel the pressure and move out just like other things, but I think it’s fairly a long shot,” Kettell said.

The traps were just put back out Monday morning, December 15, 2025 to start round two. Mayor Bass said while it’s too early to know for sure, the city maty consider ongoing trapping efforts in Spanish Fort Estates as well as other problem spots around town.