The first of three meetings seeking public input on the return of a proposed black bear hunting season in Louisiana will be held tonight. State Wildlife Large Carnivore Program Manager John Hanks said potential hunters would enter a lottery for the ten tags and they must take a course.
“We didn’t grow up with our grandfathers and uncles hunting bears, and bears are a little bit harder to tell apart. If a deer has antlers, you know it’s a male deer,” said Hanks.
The proposed season would be limited from December 7th through the 22nd.
Humane Society of Louisiana President Jeff Dorson believes bears shouldn’t be hunted and encourages those who agree to sign a petition and voice their opinion at public meetings.
“Not everything has to be hunting orientated, there can be co-existence. So yes, please use every option you can to voice your concerns,” said Dorson.
He said his petition has received more than 8,000 signatures. Click here for the petition.
The last black bear hunting season in Louisiana was 1987. Hanks estimates the state’s population to be around 1,500 and the first proposed season would only be allowed where their population is the densest in northeast Louisiana.
“The bear was threatened on the endangered species list in 1992 and recovered off of that list in 2016 and we have bears in all of our best bear habitats, and they are expanding, and we have some excess animals,” said Hanks.
Dorson is pushing for a more humane approach when it comes to the growing black bear population and encourages the state to follow Florida’s BearWise program that promotes co-existence by having residents bear-proof their property. Dorson said bears are foragers especially before they hibernate.
“They have a great sense of smell, they can smell your bar-b-que, your trash. So bearproof them,” said Dorson.
The BearWise philosophy in the Sunshine State has reduced conflicts with bears by 70 percent according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
- Jan. 18, 2024, at 6 p.m. at the West Monroe Convention Center, 901 Ridge Ave., West Monroe;
- Jan. 23, 2024, at 6 p.m. at the Black Bear Golf Course Conference Center, 253 Black Bear Dr., Delhi;
- Jan. 25, 2024, at 6 p.m. at the LSU Ag Center, 4531 Louisiana Highway 605 in St. Joseph.
Comments