Louisiana officials want to expand black bear hunting grounds to encompass wildlife management areas and private lands across the entire state.
Black bear hunting has only been legal for the past two years in Louisiana after being banned in 1987, and it’s largely been concentrated in the central and northeastern parts of the state and slivers of coastal parishes.
The proposed changes, unanimously approved at Wednesday’s monthly state Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting, would expand the number of black bear hunting areas in the state from three to seven. The number of hunting permits, each of which entitles the holder to bag a single bear, issued in each area will vary. More will likely be available in parts of the state, where bear hunting has previously been allowed and habitat is more robust, while fewer will go to new areas where habitat is more scarce.
