The first black bear hunt in Louisiana since 1987 gets underway this weekend.
John Hanks, the large carnivore program manager at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says the season will last 16 days, and ten hunters were chosen by lottery to participate.
“They could harvest one bear in that 16-day period,” says Hanks, “(or) they may not harvest a bear at all — they may decide that they’re looking for a different sized bear or may choose to hunt the entire time and not harvest.”
Hanks says they’re able to hold a bear hunting season due to an increase in the bear population.
“This is just an excess amount of bears that we have here, and we want to provide an opportunity for our outdoorsmen and men and women in the state to utilize this animal,” says Hanks. “A bear that’s well over 300 lbs. can provide 200 plates of food to a family.”
The hunt is taking place in the Tensas Bear Area in Northeast Louisiana, which includes Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll parishes, as well as portions of Franklin, Richland and Catahoula parishes.
“It is our oldest and densest population, so we have more bears in that area than anywhere else in the state,” Hanks says. “That is where Teddy Roosevelt hunted in Louisiana in 1907.”
