Latest Weather Blog
New law opens Louisiana black bear hunting for first time since 1988, licenses limited
BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana black bear will have its hunting season for the first time since 1988 as a result of a new law.
Governor Jeff Landry signed HB 684 into law on Tuesday. The new law expands LDWF’s ability to fund the management, conservation, restoration and enhancement of the Louisiana black bear.
As part of the law, seven of 10 available bear-hunting tags will be given to private landowners. Two will be given out through a lottery, and one will be auctioned off, LDWF noted.
To enter the lottery, applicants must have a $25 bear hunting license which, in addition to a basic hunting license. The fee for entering the lottery itself costs $50 per application. The tag that is auctioned off will be given to the highest bidder.
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Madison Sheahan says the money received will go towards the conservation efforts.
"We'll be able to, as a department, auction off a tag to go towards the management of these black bears. As you can imagine, being able to put forth this conservation effort is very expensive and so we are able to use these tags to be able to support the management of the species as well as the land this species needs to grow on," Sheahan said.
The Louisiana black bear was placed under endangered species protection in 1992. They remained on the list until 2016 when the population was said to be largely recovered by the national wildlife and fisheries administration.
Trending News
"The success of the black bear recovery effort is a historic event that we can all be proud of. 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," LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks said in a statement.
The season will only run for 16 days, starting on Dec. 7 and ending on December 22.
More News
