Louisiana hunters to have black bear season with new law

BATON ROUGE, La. ( KLFY ) — A few select hunters will be able to bag Louisiana black bears, after a bill was signed into law on Tuesday.

The new law signed by Gov. Jeff Landry will do the following:

• Expand the use of funds in the Louisiana black bear account of the Conservation Fund to include management, conservation, restoration, and enhancement of the black bear species, in addition to its habitat.
• Establishes a $25 bear hunting license, which will be required in addition to a basic hunting license and a bear harvest permit to hunt and take black bears.
• Allow the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission to hold a lottery for bear harvest permits and establishes a $50 fee per application.
• Allow the Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to auction a single bear harvest permit to the highest bidder.
• Allows the baiting of bears only by properly licensed and permitted hunters.

According to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Madison D. Sheahan, HB 684, introduced by State Rep. Neil Riser (R-Columbia) is designed to advance LDWF’s ability to fund the management, conservation, restoration and enhancement of the Louisiana black bear.

“I would like to thank Governor Jeff Landry and the members of Louisiana’s legislature, especially Representative Neil Riser, for supporting black bear management in Louisiana,” Sheahan said. “Louisiana has a long list of conservation success stories that are supported by our hunters and landowners. This will be another example of one of those success stories.”

The bear was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act back in 1992, when fewer than 400 black bears lived in Louisiana, but the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declared it recovered in 2016 and removed its designation of critical habitat made only six years prior. By then the estimated bear population and risen to 1,212.

In 2018, conservation groups filed a lawsuit to get the bears back on the endangered list. The groups say the bears still need federal protection.

LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks disagrees.

“The success of the black bear recovery effort is a historic event that we can all be proud of,” Hanks said. “This was made possible by the hard work and determination of our landowners, outdoor enthusiasts, our government and non-government partners, and both past and present LDWF employees. Thank you so much to everyone who was part of this effort, you have done something that will shape the Louisiana outdoor culture for generations to come.”

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