518 pound black bear collared in Sharkey County

Story from Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks:
Sharkey County, Miss.-Exciting news from MDWFP’s Black Bear Program— the record for the largest black bear in the program’s history has been broken!

Meet M18, a massive 510-pound black bear collared earlier this week in Sharkey County. This incredible bear shattered the previous record of 468 pounds, which was held by a roadkill bear in Wilkinson County.

M18 isn’t a stranger to the program—he was originally collared back in August of 2022, weighing 360 pounds at the time. However, he managed to slip out of that collar shortly after he was caught. This recent capture provided an opportunity to safely gather current data as well as record his impressive growth before releasing him once again.

An awesome addition to MDWFP’s Black Bear Program research!

For more information on the Black Bear Program or to report a sighting – https://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/wildlife-species-program/black-bear-program