Black bear season is back with new bill

The Louisiana legislature passed House Bill 684, which re-establishes black bear hunting season in Louisiana.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks says part of what the bill does is make sure money generated from the sale of black bear licenses goes towards a good cause.

“This House bill expands the use of funds in the Louisiana black bear account of the [Wildlife and Fisheries Commission] Conservation Fund to include management, conservation, restoration and enhancement of the black bear species and their habitats,” he explains.

The bill also establishes a $20 black bear hunting license, which will be required in addition to a basic hunting license, and a bear harvest permit. Both are required to hunt black bears.

The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will hold a lottery for 9 permits at $50 per application. Plus, the secretary of the LDWF will auction off one permit to the highest bidder. Those 10 permits are the only ones that will be available. Finally, Hanks says, the bill establishes what is and isn’t legal.

“It [the bill] allows the baiting of bears only by properly licensed and permitted hunters,” he says. “It’s otherwise illegal to bait bears.”

Black bear season runs from the first Saturday to the third Sunday in December, and you can only hunt black bears in Madison, Tensas, East Carroll, West Carroll, half of Franklin, half of Richland and a bit of Catahoula. If you’re in those parishes and can’t wait to get your license and permit, Hanks says to stay tuned.

“So we’re currently building that [application process],” he says. “I hope it will be available [in] mid- to late August or early September at the latest, but it’s a work in progress.”

Black bear hunting was suspended in Louisiana in the 1980s after they became endangered, but the population has since recovered.