NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A judge has upheld a ban on using dogs to hunt deer in the Kisatchie National Forest.
 
Judge Dee Drell wrote in the Friday ruling that there was "substantial evidence" to support the Forest Service's decision.
 
The Kisatchie National Forest consists of over 600,000 acres stretching across seven parishes.
 
In dog-deer hunting, hunters release dogs into a forest to find the deer and drive them into a clearing.
 
When the Forest Service proposed the ban, they cited public safety concerns and conflicts between hunters and landowners who complained of gunshots near their homes and trespassing dogs. The ban went into effect in 2013.
 
Hunters sued to overturn the ban.
 
Hunter Robert Trent Hollingsworth says they are "disappointed" in the judge's decision and weighing their next steps.