The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) received 1,330 applications from 1,119 hopeful hunters for this year’s black bear season. Two hundred and ten people applied for more than one lottery.
John Hanks, LDWF large carnivore manager, gave an update on the numbers to commissioners at their regular meeting on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Bear hunting tags have been drawn but not yet issued, according to Hanks.
The season has expanded from last year, when bear hunts were only allowed in Bear Area IV, which includes Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll parishes, as well as portions of Richland, Franklin and Catahoula parishes. This year, Bear Areas I and II are also included in the season, which runs from Dec. 6 to Dec. 21.
“Bear areas and deer areas are not the same,” Hanks stressed.
Bear Area I includes much of the coastal region. In Area I, five tags were available for landowners and three for the general lottery.
Bear Area II, the Pointe Coupee region, had three landowner tags and one general tag.
In Area IV, there were 10 landowner tags, three general tags, one WMA tag, and one LDWF secretary tag available.
Louisiana’s bear population
According to Hanks, Louisiana has roughly 1,200 bears across five populations, with Tensas Parish being the largest at approximately 600 bears.
During his report, Commissioner Andy Brister asked Hanks if Union Parish in Area V would ever be included in the hunt.
“We do a hair snare every year, and we did one in 2023 for Bear Area V,” Hanks said. “We have that data back, but we didn’t have it prior to this season. There is certainly some data we can go through and see what will be available to them—maybe as soon as next year. It just depends on what the data says.”
Lottery winners are required by LDWF to attend a training class. Topics include the history of the black bear, determining age, sex and size of the bear, proper handling, cooking and preserving edible portions, and bear safety.
It is also mandatory that all harvested bears be checked by LDWF personnel. DNA samples, blood for health screening, and a tooth for age estimation will be taken. Bears will also be weighed and checked for previous tags or markers.
The cost to apply for the lottery is $50. General and WMA lotteries also require a $25 hunting license. Funds collected go into LDWF’s bear program. To qualify for the landowner lottery, applicants must own at least 40 acres.
About the black bear season
- Cubs and females with cubs are not legal to harvest. A cub is defined as any bear weighing 75 pounds or less.
- Legal firearms include: centerfire and rimfire firearms .30 caliber or larger, and shotguns 10 gauge or smaller using slugs (breech-loading only); rifles and pistols .44 caliber or larger, or muzzleloading shotguns 10 gauge or smaller using black powder or approved substitutes. Archery gear with a minimum draw weight of 30 pounds is also allowed.
- Hunters must remove all edible meat from the bear, including all four quarters, backstraps and tenderloins.
- Hunters are required to wear hunter orange.
- Harvested bears must be tagged immediately and reported to a designated LDWF biologist for biological data collection.
- Baiting is allowed beginning two weeks before the season opens until it closes. Both unprocessed and processed bait, as well as scent lures, are permitted.
- All successful applicants or transferees must complete a bear hunter training course before hunting.
Red snapper season
Through 155 days of the season, 839,291 pounds—or 93.8%—of the red snapper allocation has been harvested, according to Jason Adriance, LDWF marine fisheries biologist. Adriance updated commissioners on the red snapper season during the meeting.
“Closure of the season could occur by Oct. 12, with final landings expected a week after the closure date,” Adriance said. “Right now, we are averaging 19,000 to 20,000 pounds per week.”
The 2025 allocation for private and state charter harvest is 894,955 pounds after a payback of 39,632 pounds. The season opened May 1 with a daily four-fish bag limit in both state and federal waters.
“Most folks preferred a higher bag limit and a longer season that lasted through Labor Day,” Adriance said. “So far, we have accomplished that this year.”
Private recreational fishermen have harvested 765,211 pounds this season, while the state charter sector has taken 73,081 pounds. The federal charter sector, which is not part of the state allocation, has harvested 147,830 pounds.
Greater amberjack
LDWF officials are considering management options for greater amberjack similar to those used for red snapper, according to Chris Schieble, deputy assistant secretary for fisheries.
“We had another very successful state-managed red snapper season,” Schieble said. “I think that is a good template as we go forward for greater amberjack.”
The state’s responsibilities could include managing the private angling allocation of the annual catch limit, setting minimum size limits, establishing bag limits, and determining season closures. LDWF would also monitor individual private angling catch limits through state-run collection programs.
Five Gulf states could potentially be involved in management of the season.
The current recreational season runs from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 each year, with an annual catch limit of 404,000 pounds. For 2024-25, Gulf greater amberjack recreational landings totaled 882,451 pounds — 478,451 pounds over the annual limit.
Greater amberjack are large, powerful predatory fish in the jack family, identified by a dark stripe from the nose through the eye and a forked tail. Found in temperate to tropical waters worldwide, they are prized game fish known for their strong fight and excellent meat. They are commonly found around reefs and shipwrecks. Juveniles inhabit open-ocean sargassum, while adults become demersal, feeding on crabs, squid, and other fish.
