Black Bear Hunting Returns to Louisiana for First Time in 36 Years

Nothing gets me tickled quite like a true conservation success story and the great state of Louisiana is the latest to have one. After a tumultuous 36 years since hunters could chase black bears in the Sportsmen’s Paradise, history was made earlier this week when a small group of hunters got the green light to do just that.

It wasn’t until 1992 that black bears in Louisiana were afforded protection via the Endangered Species Act where they would hang out for the following 24 years. After extensive efforts to bring population levels back from the brink, black bears were delisted in 2016 after posting hopeful results.

With a current population estimated at roughly 1,500 bears, the state feels ready to laissez les bons temps rouler in the bear woods this fall.

“We now have so many that they are getting in the way of deer hunting and with sometimes four to five black bears showing up at one hunt on a game cam,” Gov. Jeff Landry said.

The season officially kicked off on Saturday but officials are carefully easing their way into the new season.  With only 10 available tags this year, bear hunting in Louisiana is currently restricted to just four parishes. The season is set to roll through Sunday, December 22 and the 10 available tags were divided up between seven private landowners, one veteran through the Healing Road Foundation, one to wildlife management and another to the public through a lottery.

“When we’re working with anything that was on the endangered species list at one time and we want to be very careful about what we do with this species, we want to make sure we’re managing it so that it can be hunted by the sportsmen of the state,” Sheahan said.

State wildlife officials have stated that they will be monitoring the hunt closely and will be using this year’s data to assess tag availability and the possibility of expanding hunting areas in the years to come.