Commission hears presentation; no action on hunting season
Public comments were heard concerning the proposed black bear hunting season during the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission March meeting. A report was given on other public comments as well as a presentation on the latest information about bears in Louisiana, but no definitive action was taken.
Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks along with General Council Cole Garrett said the presentation was “informational in nature” and the commission would consider amendments or approval of the proposed rule at its April meeting. Details on what was said at a series of public hearings around the state on this issue earlier this year have not been released in writing.
Louisiana Sportsman was unable to get a timely interview with Hanks, but submitted a list of questions to the department by email and received a reply by email. When asked about the outcry from hunters saying the proposed season was too conservative, Hanks and Garrett said it was “restrictive by design.”
Black bears were formerly listed on the federal Endangers Species Act and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) recently concluded the post delisting monitoring of the species.
Limited harvest
Hanks and Garrett said LDWF population data indicated the black bear population area with the densest population could sustain a “limited harvest.”
“While the season framework is designed to harvest male bears, the Department and Commission are purposefully being conservative in the approach to bear harvest,” the LDWF biologist and attorney wrote in their email response.
“Without the benefit of previous harvest data points to show what the male to female harvest ratio is, the most prudent approach is to allocate harvest tags based on the most restrictive assumption. LDWF will incorporate harvest data into future models and utilize adaptive management when developing future season recommendations.”
There is legislation regarding proposed bear hunting being introduced during the spring session in Baton Rouge.
House Bill (HB) 684, whose primary author is Rep. Neil Riser of District 20, would authorize Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioners (LWFC) to create a bear harvest permit lottery, establish a lottery application fee, dedicate funds to a black bear account and allow the feeding of wild bears for purpose of baiting.
Additionally, it would authorize the LWFC secretary to auction one bear harvest permit.
“We’re going to be moving cautiously forward,” Riser said. “We’ve come a long way, and it took us a long time to clear all of (the) lawsuits.”
In February, the U.S District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana dismissed a plaintiff’s challenge to the removal of the Louisiana black bear from the Endangers Species Act (ESA) list of threatened specials.
The February decision comes as the LWFC is in the final stages of considering whether to open a limited black bear hunting season to begin in December 2024.
Only 10 permits
The Commission plan would issue a maximum of 10 permits to hunt the Tensas River subpopulation of black bears. The Tensas River subpopulation is the largest and healthiest black bear subpopulation and has experienced significant growth and expansion beyond its core habitat area. Despite high populations in other areas, they will apparently be left out of any initial hunting.
Other states have passed legislation establishing black bear hunting.
“Arkansas did a real good job and I think we will probably do something similar,” Riser said.
According to HB 684, there will be a $50 nonrefundable entry fee for a bear harvest permit lottery application. All revenues derived from lottery applications and auction proceeds will be deposited into the black bear account created within the Conservation Fund. The fund will be used exclusively for managing, conserving, restoring and enhancing Louisiana black bears.
“The legislation filed by Rep. Riser is part of the Department’s legislative package,” the email by the men stated. “While the WLF Commission has the authority to establish hunting seasons and quotas for wildlife species, only the legislature can establish fees or licenses associated with those activities. This bill seeks to establish a bear hunting license and associated fee, and a lottery application fee for the bear harvest permit lottery application. It also dedicates revenue derived from these fees toward the management of the Louisiana black bear. It will provide essential income for the agency to continue management and conservation efforts for this species.”
Region 4
LWFC passed a Notice of Intent for the black bear season in their November 2023 meeting. It was met by an onslaught of hunters saying on social media that a 10-bear harvest limit was too minimal for Louisiana’s current bear population.
The possible bear season will be for Region 4, which encompasses East and West Carroll parishes, Madison and Tensas parishes and portions of Franklin, Richland and Catahoula parishes. According to the NOI, the season will be from the first Saturday in December to the Sunday following the third Saturday in December. It will be still hunt only.
