Why It Matters: Thanks to the conservation management efforts of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and their partners, the Louisiana black bear’s population has rebounded to feature a harvestable surplus – resulting in one of the greatest conservation success stories in the South. The 2024 Louisiana bear hunting season, which ran from Dec. 7th – 22nd and was the first since the late 1980s, ended in success with 10 hunters filling their tags out of 11 permits that were issued. These lucky hunters were successful in the 2024 Black Bear Lottery and also completed the required bear hunter safety training offered by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to ensure that the successful applicants were well informed on all things bear hunting before they hit the woods.
Highlights:
- In spring of 2024, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Commission voted unanimously to give final approval to re-establish a black bear season in Louisiana.
- According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 973 applications were received for a black bear tag. The funds generated through the lottery fees and license revenue that the hunt generated will go back into the management of the Louisiana black bear by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, further strengthening the overall health and success of the subspecies.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, and partner organizations, maintained throughout the process that the conservation efforts that Louisiana has put into place over the past 40 years have resulted in a successful rebound of black bears in Louisiana and that a regulated harvest was needed.
Science based wildlife management is one of the key tenets of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and its Commission should be commended for following the science in their decision-making to bring a season back. The Department, as well as its Commission, is the entity best equipped to address fish and wildlife management issues in Louisiana, and hunting is the best management tool for maintaining wildlife populations at a level that minimizes human/wildlife conflict while also ensuring their continued sustainability.
This re-established season will also incentivize private landowners to conserve and manage critical wildlife habitat to ensure the continued success of a species that was brought back in part by funding through the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). The “user pays – public benefits” structure of the ASCF generated over $44 million for conservation in 2023.
CSF applauds the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for a successful black bear season and looks forward to continuing to work alongside the Louisiana Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and our partners to ensure the future of conservation efforts in the “Sportsman’s Paradise.”
