A Louisiana black bear photographed at Dewey Wills Wildlife Management Area in Central Louisiana. (LDWF photo)

Louisiana Ponders Big Expansion for Black Bear Hunting by Elise Plunk

Louisiana officials want to expand black bear hunting grounds to encompass wildlife management areas and private lands across the entire state. Black bear hunting has only been legal for the past two years in Louisiana after being banned in 1987, and it’s largely been concentrated in the central and northeastern parts of the state and slivers of coastal parishes. 

The proposed changes, unanimously approved at Wednesday’s monthly state Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting, would expand the number of black bear hunting areas in the state from three to seven. The number of hunting permits, each of which entitles the holder to bag a single bear, issued in each area will vary. More will likely be available in parts of the state, where bear hunting has previously been allowed and habitat is more robust, while fewer will go to new areas where habitat is more scarce. 

While an exact number hasn’t yet been determined, state officials expect it to be more than the 26 permits available last year. Hunters reported taking 16 bears — 10 males and six females — in last year’s season that spanned Dec. 6-21. “It will be low, very conservative, low tag allotments. But when you go from three areas to seven, then that changes a little bit,” said John Hanks, large carnivore program manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Louisiana officially reinstated black bear hunting in 2024, citing successful conservation efforts. The Louisiana black bear was listed as a federally threatened species in 1992 and taken off the list in 2016 as its population grew. 

Wildlife and Fisheries estimates there are roughly 1,500 black bears in the state. There are three types of black bear hunting permits in Louisiana: general permits, for people hunting on private lands with the owner’s permission; wildlife management area permits, for those hunting in public areas the state manages; and private landowner permits, for those who own at least 40 acres in areas where bear hunting is allowed. 

Applicants must pay for a non-refundable $25 bear hunting license and a $50 permit fee, which go toward the state’s bear conservation programs, to take part in the permit lottery. Application for this year’s hunting season will be accepted July 28 through Aug. 28. Hunters can apply for multiple types of permits but can only win one. The 2026 bear season will also start on Dec. 6, the first Saturday of the month, and run until Dec. 21. 

The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission also unanimously supported the proposal to open bear hunting to landowners from out of state. State Rep. Neil Riser, R-Columbia, has sponsored similar legislation that lawmakers will consider in their upcoming session that begins Monday. Cole Garrett, LDWF’s general counsel, said current state law allows out-of-state landowners to receive a permit to hunt bear, but they cannot use it themselves. “They would have to transfer it to somebody,” Garrett said about the current law. “This bill seeks to allow these landowners to utilize the tags on their property.”

Elise Plunk is an environmental reporter and Report for America corps member at the Louisiana Illuminator, focusing her coverage on water and its impacts throughout Louisiana and the Mississippi River Basin.

For more intersting and well-written articles on government, politics, health, criminal justice and education, go to https://lailluminator.com/.

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