BATON ROUGE — Hunters killed a total of 16 Louisiana black bears during the second bear hunting season since it was legalized again after a more than 35-year hiatus on the practice. 

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said that 10 male bears and six female bears were harvested during the season, which ran from Dec. 6 and 21, 2025. This is up from the 10 harvested during the December 2024 inaugural season.

Eight bears were harvested from Bear Area 4 in northeast Louisiana during the 2025 season, the largest being a 565-pound bear. Three were taken from Bear Area 2 in central Louisiana, which includes Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes, and five from Bear Area 1, which includes Iberville, Assumption and St. Mary parishes.

In total, 26 tags were issued for the hunting of black bears. 

"Our second bear hunting season proved to be successful and a tribute to the conservation effort of our department, private landowners, hunters and other partners who helped bring back the Louisiana black bear," LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth said. "We’re pleased to give our state hunters a chance to enjoy this special season. And the lottery revenue which comes from the hunt, helps to make sure the Louisiana black bear thrives."

The black bear was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1992. Black bear population numbers eventually rose after habitats were restored. As a result, the bear was removed from the list in 2016.