Louisiana Black Bear Hunting: Lottery Odds, Record Breakers, Bayou Safety & Creole Recipes

As December dawns over Louisiana's fog-shrouded swamps, the hum of lottery winners' excitement echoes through Tensas Parish—home to 600 of the state's 1,200 resilient black bears. After a 35-year hiatus, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) greenlit a limited archery-only season from December 6-21, doling out just 26 resident tags from 1,300 feverish applications. This isn't unchecked pursuit; it's a calibrated comeback for the once-endangered Louisiana black bear, blending conservation with Cajun grit. From Teddy Roosevelt's famous 1902 mercy to 2024's 696-pound behemoth, this guide unpacks it all—viral bait like DIY swamp-proof treestands, gumbo recipes that swap duck for bear, and hiker hacks that keep Atchafalaya ambushes at bay.

Louisiana's Iconic Bruin: The Louisiana Black Bear and Its Sole Reign

The Pelican State prowls with one bear sovereign: the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus), a federally recovered subspecies of the American black bear—stockier, with frosted muzzles and creamier fur than cousins up north. No grizzlies or polars in these bayous; just 4-6 foot, 200-600 pound survivors rebounding from ~20 in the 1980s to five robust subpopulations today. Genetic tweaks from reintroductions (e.g., Florida stock) add diversity, but all hail from this Delta darling—80% black-coated, with cinnamon phases blending into canebrakes. Pro scout: LDWF's Tensas River NWR cams catch 'em raiding crawfish traps; densities peak at 2-3 per square mile in prime bottoms.

Bayou Behemoths: Louisiana's Largest Black Bears

Louisiana skips Boone & Crockett pomp (focus on skulls over scales), but 2024's harvest etched eternity. The heaviest verified Louisiana black bear tipped 696 pounds—a Tensas Parish titan arrowed by Lafayette vet Deron Santiny on December 20, 2024, in the inaugural modern season, shattering a 608-pounder from St. Mary Parish (2010s poach). Runners-up: A 650-pounder collared in Upper Atchafalaya (2022 research), and a 550-pound sow from Three Rivers WMA (Iberville Parish, 2023). These porky paragons fatten in nut-rich refuges—Tensas (northwest) yields the bulkiest, while Atchafalaya Basin (central) births brawny roamers. As tags expand in 2025 (new zones like Feliciana), expect 400+ pound lottery legends—bait with molasses-soaked corn for ethical edges.

Swamp Savvy: Habitats, Eats, Dens & Dynasty in the Louisiana Black Bear World

These bayou bosses are ecosystem puppeteers, tilling soils with claws and scattering seeds via scat.

Favored Floodplains: Bottomland Bliss

Louisiana blacks burrow into bottomland hardwood forests—oaks, cypresses, and willows laced with sloughs—from Tensas to Atchafalaya, plus upland pines and regenerating cuts. Females patrol 5-10 square mile fiefdoms; males meander 30+, spilling into sugarcane fields during mast droughts.

Omnivore Odyssey: 90% Herbivore Hustle

Opportunistic feasts: Spring shoots/sedges, summer berries/insects (June bugs jackpot), fall acorns/persimmons, winter tubers/carrion. Hyperphagia hauls 40 pounds in hyper-speed—gumbo raids on trash spark 20% of nuisance calls.

Den Dynamics: Hollowed Havens

They crash in hollow cypresses, ground nests, or stump cavities on elevated hummocks, dodging floods.

Hibernation? More Like Bayou Snooze

No true torpor in muggy LA—carnivoran lethargy (shallow dormancy) for 1-3 months max, rousing for crawfish crawls. Cubs (1-4, avg 2-3) arrive January in mom's den, nursing through the nap.

Romance & Rearing: Summer Flings, Winter Whelps

Courtship crescendo June-July: Males rumble for mates, covering 50-mile circuits; delayed implantation parks embryos till November. Females breed biennially from age 3-4, solo-nurturing cubs 15-17 months—berry boot camp before bayou bye-bye. Boars? Benchwarmers, but infanticidal if unchaperoned.

Menace or Myth? Black Bear Perils in the Pelican State

Louisiana's blacks are cowardly crawlers, not canebrake killers—zero human attacks in state annals, a squeaky-clean slate rarer than rougarou sightings. They're orchard opportunists, nipping beehives or fawns but bypassing herds—livestock losses? Negligible. To folks: Bluff blusters (huffs, tree slaps) if cubs cornered; "nuisance" bears (fed at camps) get trapped/relocated, not rabid. No maulings ever—contrast Wyoming's 2023 grizzly gore. To wildlife: Scavengers supreme, but 2024's hunt culled 10 males/females humanely, averting crop clashes. Viral vigilance: Secure pirogues—bears board boats for boudin!

Hunt & Hike Hazard-Free: LDWF's Bayou Best Practices

2025 tags? Archery-only, Dec 6-21 in core areas (Tensas, Atchafalaya)—no dogs, bait 10 days pre. For Kisatchie rambles or Tensas treks: - Audible Alert: Whoop Cajun tunes or whistle—bears skedaddle from surprises 95% of the time. - Spray & Stash: Bear mace (25-ft fog) holstered; legal in WMAs. Hoist guts 200 yards from camps—gator-gut piles lure 'em. - Close Call Code: Back away bellowing—no bolt (chase bait). Charged? Fight filthy (paddle to nose); drop and cover only for browns. - Hunt Hacks: Lottery July 28-Aug 28 ($50 fee); scout via Duck Commander cams. Viral: Mosquito-net treestands for dawn draws. - Trail Tenets: Groups glow—dawn/dusk solos skip sloughs. Leash hounds (bruiser bait). Pro: Pirogue patrols with pepper pods.

Bear Belly: Flavor Lowdown & Louisiana's Lagniappe Recipes

Tag tip: Trich test mandatory; cook to 160°F. Taste? Lean pork-venison mash—sweet-nutty on pecans, swampy if gar-fed. Milk-marinade 48 hours; smoke for silkiness. Cajun kitchens crown bear in roux-rich rites. Two trail-tested treasures (sub alligator if tagless; serves 6-8): 1. Atchafalaya Bear Gumbo (Holy Trinity Twist, Hunt Camp Hero) Echoes 1800s Acadian pots—thick, soul-soothing for Mardi Gras mashups. - Ingredients: 3 lb bear shoulder (cubed), 1 lb andouille, 1 cup roux (flour/oil), trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper), 2 qts seafood stock, 1 lb okra/file powder, garlic/cayenne, filé. - Method: Brown bear/sausage; stir in roux/veggies 30 min dark. Simmer stock/okra 2 hours till shreddable. Thicken filé. Ladle over rice with potato salad. Hack: Pressure-cook bear 45 min—Instant Gumbo Guru; BearGumboGoneWild! 2. Tensas Bear Boudin Balls (Fried Fancy, Tailgate TNT) From Teddy-era butchers—spicy, poppable for pre-hunt parties. - Ingredients: 2 lb bear liver/shoulder (ground), 1 cup rice (cooked), 1/2 lb pork fatback, trinity/garlic/onion powder, cayenne/paprika, breadcrumbs/eggs for balls. - Method: Sauté trinity; grind with bear/rice/fat, season, stuff casings or ball-up. Poach 20 min, fry golden. Dip in remoulade. Pro: Render fat for roux base—bayou butter gold! These morph "swamp shank" into supper stardom—snap your skillet shot.

Tag & Trek Tariffs: Louisiana Bear Hunt Economics

Unguided: $50 non-refundable lottery app (July-Aug); winners snag $25 bear seal + $20 basic license—total ~$95 for residents. Quota: 26 tags; odds 1:50. Guided: Rare birds—LAWFF's 2025 auction kicked at $5,000 for a 3-day Tensas trek (includes lodging/meals, archery focus); bids soared to $12K+. Outfitter averages $3,000-6,000 for multi-day (one species only). Non- res? Double fees, slim draws.

Folklore in the Floods: Louisiana's Bear Hunting Tapestry

Bears aren't quarry—they're Creole chronicles. Chitimacha/Atakapa tribes chased 'em with fire drives, fat for lamps, claws for charms; "Bear Hunter" petroglyphs scar Ouachita bluffs. French trappers? Knife-and-hound romps in 1700s cane, yielding "ours enragé" yarns. Enter Teddy: 1902's infamous mercy in St. Landry Parish—guides tied a spent bruin, Roosevelt balked, birthing the teddy bear empire. Logging/oil axed 'em by 1950s—last wild sighting 1980—sparking ESA listing (1992). Rebound? 300+ reintroductions (1999-2010s) from MN/FL, delisting 2016; 2024's 10-harvest opener nods Acadian grit, balancing nuisances with nuance—think "Teddy's Tribute" festivals in Madison Parish.

Reclaim the Refuge: Hunt Wise, Feast Wild

Louisiana blacks are bayou ballads—enduring, enigmatic, emblematic. Draw that tag, dredge that roux, and chronicle your canebrake conquest: Tensas triumph or Atchafalaya awe? Spill below. Laissez les bons temps rouler—responsibly.

Hunting Gear & Supplies Store

Find all the top hunting gear and supplies for your next bear hunting adventure at the Mendenhall Outdoors Hunting Gear & Tackle Store.

Cottages and Vacation Home Rentals

Looking for place to stay on your next hunting adventure? Expedia has vacation homes, hotels, motels, cabins, and cottages for many locations that would be great for your next vacation, all at really great prices. Start your adventures today.

About The Author

Mike Mendenhall is the the founder of Lunker Hunter. This website is an extension of the Mendenhall family’s lifestyle and passion for the great outdoors. Everything that they learn, and experience, along the way that they find may be valuable to our website visitors is on the site for you to enjoy. We highlight products and services that you might find interesting. We frequently receive free products from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. If you click a link on this page, then go on to make a purchase, we might receive a commission – at no extra cost to you, and does not impact the purchase price of any products that you may purchase.