First black bear hunting season in Louisiana since 1987 to start in December
LOUISIANA (KLFY) -- The first black bear hunting season in Louisiana in nearly 40 years is set to start in just two months, but only 10 very lucky sportsmen will get a chance to hunt the prized species.
In Louisiana 30 years ago, the black bear population was only around 400. Now there are more than 1,500 bears that call Louisiana home, and wildlife leaders say there's actually an excess.
"We can't handle as many bears as were here 200 or 300 years ago because we have a lot more people and a lot more urban areas and a lot more fragmented habitat. While people and bears can co-exist, we certainly don't need bears in downtown Baton Rouge or downtown Shreveport or downtown New Orleans," said John Hanks, Manager of the Large Carnivore Program with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The once-thriving black bear population in Louisiana first became listed as threatened in the endangered species list in 1992. Habitat loss was a big reason.
"Maybe there was some good habitat for bears, but it was little, tiny blocks, and there was cities and towns and farms in between them. Then they were hunted very heavily in the early 1900s," Hanks said.
After nearly 40 years of monitoring populations, the black bear was taken off the endangered species list in 2016.
"We're still doing that same work. We've never stopped. It's not required of us now, but we still do it," Hanks said.
While you can now find black bears in all 64 parishes in Louisiana, 80 to 90% live in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and in the Atchafalaya Basin area.
While the black bear population grows, Louisiana plans to hold its first bear hunting season since 1987. That hunting season starts the first week of December.
"It's something we haven't done in almost 40 years, and while most people in the state have a rich hunting culture background, not a lot of them grew up hunting bears. This is a new thing, and we want to make sure we do it right," Hanks said.
Ten tags were given away in the lottery with eight going to private landowners.
The hunt will happen in bear area four, which includes several northwestern parishes in the Pelican State. It's the biggest and oldest bear population in Louisiana.
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