Saturday marked the beginning of Louisiana’s new black bear hunting season, but it will probably be a while before the sport is accessible to more than a select few hunters and landowners.
Gov. Jeff Landry announced the opening of the season, which will last through Dec. 22, at a press conference Monday alongside hunting enthusiasts and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) officials. The governor pointed to the recovering population of black bears in the state, estimated at nearly 1,500, as a sign of successful conservation efforts.
“We now have so many that they’re getting in the way of deer hunting,” Landry said, alluding to claims that bears are displacing deer and competing with them for food.
The Louisiana black bear, the official state mammal, came under the protection of the Endangered Species Act in 1992. Its population had dwindled to near extinction, primarily the result of deforestation and habitat destruction. The governor also cited overhunting as a factor.
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Conservation efforts, including an LSU AgCenter program to reintroduce the animal in certain areas of the state, eventually increased the bear’s numbers. Their rebound prompted federal regulators to remove the Louisiana black bear from the endangered list in 2016.
Still, some conservationists and residents remain opposed to killing the bears for sport. In an effort to stop the creation of a bear hunting season, Humane Society of Louisiana executive director Jeff Dorson started a petition last year that garnered more than 38,000 signatures.
But state lawmakers continued to press the idea. Last spring, the Louisiana Legislature passed a resolution by Rep. C. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, to have Wildlife and Fisheries study the viability of a black bear hunting season. He introduced the proposal to help manage an uptick in reported bear encounters, particularly in the Mississippi Delta region of rural northeast Louisiana.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission then issued a notice of intent to open the black bear hunting season with 10 permit tags for hunters. Each tag allows for the killing of one bear. The first tag went to an organization that takes military veterans hunting.
Back in January, Johnson said he expected LDWF would offer 10 tags to the public through a lottery system. On Monday, however, LDWF Secretary Madison Sheahan said seven of those tags went to the private landowners who allowed the agency to use their land for the repopulation of the bears.
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Among the remaining tags, only one was issued via a public lottery for hunting on state land, and another was issued through a similar lottery for hunting on private property in designated areas with the owner’s permission.
Hunters with tags are permitted to kill only adult male bears in certain parts of northeast Louisiana, including Tensas, Madison, East Carroll and West Carroll parishes and portions of Richland, Franklin and Catahoula parishes.
According to the LSU AgCenter, additional Louisiana black bear populations exist in the Morganza floodway just west of Baton Rouge and in the region stretching from the lower Atchafalaya Basin near Morgan City to the Houma area. However, those areas are not open for bear hunting.
Sheahan said the agency will continue to monitor the black bear populations and, if necessary, adjust the number of hunting tags for future seasons.
Mechanic starting a new career at age 60 has some advice
Mike Witt turned 60 the same month he graduated from a Ford program that seeks to produce new mechanics with the help of local partners.
CareerMinds, a global outplacement and career management partner, carried out a survey of 3,002 workers based on career development opportunities.
CareerMinds found that upskilling has become less of an optional, extra step and more of a career essential.
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Taking this into account, CareerMinds developed a map that highlights the company in each state where workers have the most opportunities for upskilling and career progression.
Ochsner Health said to be the best company in Louisiana for career development. What to know
In CareerMinds’ survey, Louisiana residents voted Ochsner Health as the company they would most like to work for.
The study found that healthcare companies are sought-after, as states with major medical systems saw increased interest in healthcare employers and upskilling within medicine.
This year, Ochsner Health was named on Fortune Magazine’s “Best Workplaces in Health Care” list, with 82% of employees saying the company is a great place to work, according to Great Place to Work.
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Additionally, U.S. News & World Report has recognized Ochsner as the number one hospital in Louisiana for 14 censecutive years and Ochsner Children’s as the number one hospital for children for four consecutive years, according to Great Place to Work.
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering care at its 46 hospitals and over 370 health and urgent care centers, says Great Place to Work.
The best companies for career development for 2025 in each state according to CareerMinds
Alabama: Mercedez-Benz U.S. International
Alaska: Northern Alaska Tour Company
Arizona: Intel Corporation
Arkansas: Walmart
California: Kaiser Permanente
Colorado: Lockheed Martin
Connecticut: Hartford HealthCare
Delaware: DuPont
Florida: Royal Caribbean Group
Georgia: Coca-Cola
Hawaii: Hawaiin Airlines
Idaho: Micron Technology
Illinois: United Airlines
Indiana: Cummins
Iowa: Principal Financial Group
Kansas: Garmin
Kentucky: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky
Louisiana: Ochsner Health
Maine: L.L. Bean
Maryland: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Massachusetts: Boston Scientific
Michigan: General Motors
Minnesota: Target Corporation
Mississippi: Peavey Electronics
Missouri: Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Montana: Glacier Bancorp
Nebraska: Union Pacific Railroad
Nevada: MGM Resorts International
New Hampshire: Fidelity Investments
New Jersey: Merck & Co.
New Mexico: Intel Corporation
New York: Pfizer
North Carolina: Bank of America
North Dakota: Bobcat Company
Ohio: Procter & Gamble
Oklahoma: Devon Energy
Oregon: Nike
Pennsylvania: Hershey Company
Rhode Island: Brown University
South Carolina: Prisma Health
South Dakota: First PREMIER Bank/ PREMIER Bankcard
Tennessee: Venderbilt University Medical Center
Texas: AT&T
Utah: Intermountain Health
Vermont: GlobalFoundries
Virginia: Capital One
Washington: Amazon
West Virginia: CAMC Health System
Wisconsin: Harley-Davidson
Wyoming: Wyoming Medical Center
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for Gannett/USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
What began as an employee’s challenge to “do better” has grown into a powerful culture of giving at Danos.
In 2017, the Gray-based oilfield service company formalized its charitable work through the Danos Foundation, guided by a simple principle—care for others.
Danos is being honored with the Community Impact Award at the Louisiana Energy Awards, presented by Business Report’s 10/12 Industry Report on Nov. 5.
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The foundation empowers employees to contribute both time and money, with every donation matched by the company and supported by grants tied to measurable community outcomes. Since its creation, the foundation has distributed more than $1.4 million to nonprofits focused on family support, sustainability, and hunger relief.
Local organizations like Bless Your Heart and Second Harvest credit the Danos family’s generosity—and hands-on volunteerism—with fueling critical food programs across Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes and Grand Isle.
For CEO Mark Danos, whose missionary work once took him to rural Kenya, the Foundation reflects both his personal faith and the company’s enduring commitment to lifting up the communities it serves.
Read the full story, and check out the stories of all of the Louisiana Energy Awards honorees and finalists in an array of categories.
In less than two weeks, the playoff brackets will be released for Louisiana high school football, so let’s get busy and take a look at a few hotspot games in Week 9.
Karr (8-0) and John Curtis (7-0), the top two in the Louisiana High School on SI football rankings, are also the only undefeated Catholic League clubs. The question has been asked: “is Karr beatable?” While acknowledging the Cougars’ greatness, no team is infallible, and the Patriots have just the coaching staff to throw some kinks at Karr, which fell behind 14-0 last year in the quarterfinals to St. Thomas More.
A two-touchdown deficit against Curtis would be even tougher to overcome. The key matchup seems to be the Patriots’ offensive line vs. Richard Anderson and the Karr DL. The Curtis OL took some criticism after the win over Holy Cross. We’re not predicting games until the playoffs, but with the way the Patriots’ runners have been chewing up massive yardage, the criticism regarding blocking could be off base. The big men up front will have to be on point for Curtis, which has gotten timely passing from sophomore QB London Padgett. Don’t forget: the Patriots have been without 2028 WR Jarvis Stevenson.
Sky Ryan, Lafayette Christian DB / Mike Coppag
You have to tip your hat to Lafayette Christian. The Class 2A Knights strap it up against a schedule that includes Carencro, Central-Baton Rouge, Westgate, Archbishop Rummel and Archbishop Shaw, its only defeat.
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And that’s not counting District 6-2A games vs. Notre Dame and Lafayette Renaissance.
2027 LSU quarterback commit Peyton Houston, the state’s top passer, and the Evangel Christian Eagles challenge LCA in Lafayette this week. Last year, the Eagles won in Shreveport. The Knights (7-1) are No. 1 in Division III select. Earlier in the year, LCA OL Kaleb Campbell and DB Sky Ryan were out with injuries. Defender Josh Wilson was banged up at the beginning of the season. He is a long, lean athletic player who turned heads at a combine at rival school Lafayette Renaissance during the summer.
LCA quarterback Braylon Walker has been on fire outside of the road loss to Shaw on the West Bank. Sophomore Caiden Bellard and Walker have been among the area’s leading rushers all season. The duo has combined for 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns. Belard is over 1,000 yards.
With defending Division III select champion Catholic New Iberia losing to Loreauville, the power ratings got a shakeup. Lafayette Renaissance (7-1), which only lost to LCA , is No. 5. Catholic NI is No. 10. Notre Dame (No 2, 6-2) hosts Lafayette Renaissance this week.
Random thought, but Lafayette Christian’s decision to promote Matt Standiford from within – first to interim and then head coach – has been a great decision. The Knights parted ways with Zach Lochard after last year’s loss to Archbishop Shaw. Standiford, who takes a calm, positive approach, kept the ship upright in 2024 and has surpassed realistic expectations for 2025. The road win at defending Division I nonselect champion Central-BR was huge.
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Teurlings Cahtolic RB Eli DeBoisblanc / Mike Coppage
Can Teurlings Catholic solve the riddle that is St Thomas More? The Rebels lost the District 4-4A matchup each of the past three years and come into this week’s tilt with a new coach in Michael Courville. Rebels’ quarterback Alex Munoz leads the team in rushing, sporting sub-4.6 speed with a fullback’s toughness, and the senior has thrown only one interception. The game will be on the northside at Teurlings Catholic.
Two weeks ago, Eli DeBoisblanc was Teurlings Catholic’s top running back. Last week, it was Spencer Meche and Ian Schwander. Cason Evans, who only carried sparingly in last week’s 64-29 win over East Ascension, could be ready to erupt.
St. Thomas More, as usual, has a tough defense. The Cougars don’t have flashy names, just a blue-collar mentality. Their secondary will be tested by Nicholas Celestine, Andrew Viator and tight end A.J. Price. Quinn Simon has also been coming on strong, catching touchdown passes in recent weeks for the Rebels (8-0).
Meanwhile, STM quarterback Cole Bergeron (1,950 yards, 22 TDs, seven INT) has found his stride and the Cougars have won six straight (6-2) as they prepare to defend their league title. You can trust that Bergeron will know where Teurlings Catholic 2027 CB Kaden Chavis is. The junior had a pick-six last week and will hopefully (from a Teurlings Catholic standpoint) field more punts and kicks in the future. I’d wager that Chavis will get familiar with STM WR Christian Breaux (42-732, 12 TDs). Jacob Dean is another ballhawk in the Rebels’ secondary.
Southside DB Cameron Allen / Mike Coppage
Southside got a lot of talk in the preseason as the District 3-5A favorite. The Sharks are still in the mix for a share of the title, but coach Jess Curtis’ team dropped a 17-14 decision last week to an Acadiana team that has won five straight. On Thursday, the Sharks will try to hand Carencro (6-2) its first district loss. The question is, how do you slow down 2028 QB Carson Guzzi and the Carencro offense?
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The obvious answer, of course, is to control time of possession with a flexbone offense that features QB Parker Dies and running backs Justin Williams and Kollen Francois. The trio has combined for 2,000 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns. Will Carencro senior Chantz Babineaux tip the scales in favor of the Bears? They get Acadiana next week. Southside (6-2) doesn’t want to drop lower than its current No. 11 spot in the Division I nonselect power ratings.
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