Louisiana – The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) adopted notices of intent for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 hunting seasons during its January 7 meeting in Baton Rouge. The decisions include updates to general hunting seasons, Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) rules, turkey hunting regulations, and migratory bird hunting guidelines.
These notices, proposed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), outline hunting season dates and regulation changes while providing a public comment period.
Key proposed changes include:
– A federally mandated nine-day teal season (September 20-28).
– Reducing West Zone duck season splits from three segments to two.
– Adjusting Youth and Veteran’s waterfowl hunt days for the East and West Zones.
– Increasing the deer limit in Area 4 from three to four (two antlered, two antlerless).
– Allowing hunters aged 65 and older to use any legal firearm during the primitive firearm season.
– Adding three extra deer hunting days on Attakapas WMA.
– Prohibiting mud boats and air-cooled vessels and requiring all fish to be taken by rod and reel only on Biloxi WMA, along with a 2 p.m. waterfowl hunting closure.
– Adjusting regulations on camping, deer checks, and firearms across multiple WMAs.
Additional changes address hunting blinds, magnet fishing prohibitions, and primitive firearm seasons on specific WMAs.
The LWFC also requested LDWF to develop a survey to gather preferences for mourning dove hunting season dates. The survey will be distributed via email starting January 13.
For more details or to provide feedback, visit the LWFC website or contact LDWF directly.