You’re sitting in a deer stand in the Tensas River Basin, the air is thick enough to chew, and suddenly, the brush doesn't just rustle—it heaves. Out steps a shadow. Not a hog, not a stray dog, but a several-hundred-pound Louisiana black bear.
For decades, this was a ghost story. Now? It’s a Tuesday.
Honestly, the comeback of the Louisiana black bear (scientifically known as Ursus americanus luteolus) is probably the wildest conservation success story in the South that nobody is actually talking about correctly. We went from having maybe 150 bears left in the entire state back in the early 90s to a thriving, "stable" population that just saw its second consecutive regulated hunting season in December 2025.
But with more bears comes more "bear-talk," and frankly, a lot of it is just plain wrong. People think they’re all "Teddy Bears" because of the famous Teddy Roosevelt story in 1902, or they think they’re maneaters lurking in the Atchafalaya. The truth is somewhere in the middle—and way more interesting.
The Hunting Debate and the 2025 Season
If you want to start a fight at a boat launch, mention the bear hunt.
LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth recently announced that the 2025 Louisiana black bear hunting season concluded with 16 bears taken—10 males and 6 females. That followed the 2024 season, which was the first time Louisianans could legally hunt bears in over 35 years.
Some folks are livid. They see the "Teddy Bear" as a sacred cow of the bayou. Others, particularly farmers in the northeast parishes like Madison and Tensas, are breathing a sigh of relief. To them, a bear isn't a plush toy; it’s a 400-pound tank that rips up irrigation lines and treats expensive deer corn like a bottomless buffet.
The state’s logic is pretty straightforward: the population is now estimated between 1,200 and 1,500 bears. They aren't "endangered" anymore—they haven't been federally listed since 2016. Management now means keeping the numbers in check so they don't outgrow the available habitat and start living in people's carports.
Why Your "Bear Knowledge" Might Be Outdated
Most of us grew up being told these bears were on the brink of vanishing. That’s not the case anymore.
Range expansion is happening fast. While the core groups are still in the Tensas River Basin and the Upper/Lower Atchafalaya, bears are being spotted in parishes where they haven't been seen in a century. They're moving. They're adaptable. And they're hungry.
Fact vs. Fiction in the Bayou
- The "Man-Eater" Myth: Louisiana black bears are basically giant raccoons. About 80% of their diet is just plants—acorns, berries, and inner bark. The rest is mostly insects. They aren't hunting you down.
- The "Relocation" Fallacy: You find a bear in your trash and call the state to "move it to the woods." Sounds nice, right? Wrong. Studies show about 70% of relocated bears just leave the new spot. They either try to walk back home (getting hit by cars in the process) or get into fights with resident bears.
- The "Hibernation" Thing: In Louisiana, they don't really "hibernate" like Grizzly bears in the Rockies. It’s more of a "carnivoran lethargy." If it’s a warm January day, a Louisiana bear might just wake up and go for a stroll.
How to Not Get Your ATV Seat Eaten
Bears are weirdly obsessed with plastic.
Hunters across the state have been reporting a bizarre trend: bears shredding the vinyl seats of ATVs parked near deer stands. Why? It’s likely the scent of the petroleum-based materials or just pure curiosity.
If you're out in bear country, LDWF actually suggests removing your ATV seat and hanging it from a tree branch. It sounds ridiculous, but it's better than driving back to the trailer on a bare metal frame.
Also, for the love of everything holy, stop using raw sweet potatoes or chocolate as bait. It’s actually illegal in the new hunting regulations because it’s bad for the bears’ health and makes them way too comfortable around human scents.
What to do if you actually see one:
- Don't play dead. This isn't a Grizzly. If a black bear is messing with you, it’s likely testing you.
- Get big. Stand on a log. Wave your arms. Channel your inner Cajun grandmother and yell, "Hey bear! Get out of here!"
- No "distraction" snacks. Don't drop your sandwich to run away. You just taught that bear that humans are vending machines. You’ve basically signed that bear's death warrant because a "food-conditioned" bear eventually becomes a "nuisance" bear that has to be put down.
The Genetic "Drama" You Didn't Know About
Here’s the nuance that most articles skip: not all Louisiana bears are "pure" Louisiana bears.
Back in the 60s, before the Endangered Species Act had real teeth, some bears from Minnesota were released into the Atchafalaya to "boost" the population for hunters. This created a bit of a genetic soup.
Some conservationists, like Dean Wilson of the Basinkeeper, have argued that the recovery is a bit of a sham because the "true" luteolus subspecies is being diluted by these northern genes. On the other side, state biologists argue that a bear is a bear, and the population is physically and demographically healthy regardless of whether their great-granddaddy was from St. Paul.
It's a complex, messy reality. Nature rarely fits into the neat little boxes we make for it.
Living With Our New Neighbors
We are entering a "new normal."
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The US Geological Survey has officially called the population stable. That means more sightings in suburban areas on the fringes of the basins. It means more bears in your Ring camera footage.
It’s not something to fear, but it is something to respect. If you live in a "Bear Wise" area, you've got to change how you live. Secure the trash. Pull in the bird feeders at night.
Basically, don't give them a reason to hang out.
Your Actionable Bear-Proofing Checklist
- Audit your "attractants": If it smells like food, it’s bear bait. This includes greasy BBQ grills and bags of dog food kept on the porch.
- Invest in a "Bear-Resistant" bin: If you’re in a high-activity parish like St. Mary or Madison, standard plastic bins are like wet paper to a bear.
- Carry Bear Spray: If you’re hiking or scouting, it’s better than a sidearm for 99% of encounters. It creates a "fog" that even a charging bear won't want to walk through.
- Report, don't just post: If you see a bear acting "bold" (approaching porches, not running from shouting), call the LDWF. They need that data to prevent a dangerous encounter before it happens.
The "Teddy Bear" is back, and he's doing just fine. Whether he stays that way depends on us being smart enough to keep our trash locked up and our distance kept.
Next Steps for Louisiana Residents:
Download the LDWF Bear Wise guide to see if your specific parish has been flagged for increased activity this season. If you’re a landowner with over 40 acres in Bear Areas 1, 2, or 4, check the lottery requirements for the 2026 season permits, as applications typically open in the late summer.