Bear Hunting in Louisiana: Expect a Much Larger Season in 2025

Until last year, in December of 2024, it had been nearly forty years since black bears were legally hunted in Louisiana.

Get our free mobile app

Black bear hunting was officially outlawed in 1987 and by 1992, the Louisiana black bear was officially placed on the endangered species list.

However, outlawing their harvest and a number of other variables instituted by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the population of Louisiana black bears saw an incredible boon, and the increase was so large, LDWF finally saw the need for a controlled fashion for population reduction.

That reduction came in the form of a small-scale return to a limited hunting season which allowed for a total of 11 tags that would be provided to the winners of a hunting lottery.

And talk about success! Of those 11 tags issued, 10 were used after successful harvests by Louisiana hunters.

One Black Bear Taken During 2024 Season Is Potential New State Record

Of those ten harvested bears, one taken in Tensas Parish by Deron Santiny, weighed 696 pounds and is believed to be the largest black bear ever taken in the state.

Based on the success of 2024's bear season, John Hanks, the large carnivore program manager at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says Louisiana could see another black bear season here in 2025, and if approved, the permitted harvest would be over twice as large as last year.

In fact, along with Bear Area 4 in northeast Louisiana, Hanks says the state could possibly open another two bear areas.

Speaking to the Louisiana Radio Network, Hanks said those two additional bear areas would include,  “Bear Area 2, which is that Pointe Coupee/St. Landry area, and Bear Area 1, which is the coastal parishes like Vermillion, St. Mary, Terrebonne and Iberia. ”

Of the proposed 2025 Louisiana Black Bear Season, LDWF states that the season would begin on Dec. 6, 2025 and run through Dec. 21, 2025 and would include eight permits issued in Bear Management Area 1, three permits in Bear Management Area 2, and 15 permits, including a Secretary’s permit, in Bear Management Area 4. This would be a total of 26 permits for the season. Cubs and females with cubs are not legal to harvest.

Hunts will be restricted to properly licensed Louisiana residents by lottery. All successful applicants for the hunt will be required to attend a LDWF bear hunter training course.

Hanks explains what this means for Louisiana hunters, “We had about a thousand applicants last year, a little less, and we had 10 permits, so it was a 1-in-100 chance. I don’t know what it will be this year. We have more permits, but we certainly probably will have more people putting in for those permits. ” Hanks said.

LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan, commenting on the proposed increase in bear harvest, shared “The ability to extend the 2025 black bear season to new areas and add additional permits are an attribute to not just the success of our black bear program, but also to the historic 2024 black bear season and the strength of our partnerships.”

Public comment on the NOI will be accepted through May 1 and can be submitted to LDWF Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks at jhanks@wlf.la.gov, by mail to LDWF, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898-9000 or 318-343-8325.