Area biologists give their picks for the top public areas for deer, squirrel, rabbits and more this season.
Talk to the experts, and a hunter can come away with a comfortable feeling he has a reasonable chance to harvest deer, rabbits, squirrel, waterfowl, doves, turkey and feral hogs in one or more public hunting areas within a reasonable driving distance of his home in the Sportsman’s Paradise. The state’s numerous wildlife management areas are viable outlets as the countdown continues for the hunting season in 2009-10. Hurricanes late last summer and contrasting periods of rainfall this year — either too much or none — apparently have had little or no impact on hunting prospects on a majority of the WMAs. A check with the experts around this great hunting state confirmed that within the past several weeks.
Dedicated state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists who provided information for Louisiana Sportsman’s 2009-10 Wildlife Management Area Forecast agreed on the effects of this year’s rain, or lack of it, in their respective regions around Louisiana. What happened in one region pretty much was the norm in others.
For example, here’s the report from Region 1, which encompasses Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Desoto, Red River and Webster parishes:
“Northwest Louisiana experienced above-average rainfall in the spring and has been experiencing below average rainfall during the first part of the summer,” Jeff Johnson, Region 1’s wildlife biology supervisor for WMAs, said after several consecutive days of rain in mid-July. “After having a very wet spring (which flooded the Red River), Northwest Louisiana began to see a very dry summer with little rain for the month of June.
“It was starting to look as if we might see some drought-related problems but, thankfully, we’ve had some decent rains of late.
“The area is still dry, but there has been enough rain to get vegetation back in decent-looking shape. I think the deer will be all right. I don’t think we’re facing anything catastrophic up here unless we don’t get any rain between now and September.”
However, he admitted, “Things were starting to look pretty funky up here in June.”
Johnson’s father, Leslie Johnson, is the wildlife biologist supervisor for private lands in Region 1. So Jeff Johnson, who has worked eight years with the LDWF, is a chip off the ol’ block — a good-natured, personable wildlife biologist whose laugh is infectious and who obviously loves his job as much as his dad. That means he’s very serious about wildlife and habitat.
The younger Johnson said hunters should check the 2009-10 hunting regulation pamphlet or the LDWF Web site at www.wlf.la.gov for the season dates for each WMA.
When you look at the calendar for different areas, you’ll notice some dates near and dear to John Leslie’s heart. Leslie is the wildlife biologist supervisor in Region 4.
The 18-year LDWF veteran wants to get the word out about the youth lottery deer hunts on Buckhorn WMA. This will be the third year for the six weekends in which young people can hunt out of box stands near food plots.
“Last year was the second year we had it. It was outstanding,” Leslie said.
The two previous years of youth hunts have been pleasant experiences for him, part of the rewards he said come with the job. In other words, it’s a thrill for them and him.
“It’s great to see these young kids. For a lot of them, it was the first day in their (deer hunting) careers,” he said, noting some of them killed two deer on a weekend. “It’s a great place for a kid to learn how to deer hunt, very safe. They bring their dad or some bring their mother.”
In 2007, 29 deer were harvested by the youngsters out in the woods of Buckhorn WMA. Ten young hunters were picked in the lottery for each of the six weekends, and an estimated 55 actually went deer hunting, according to Leslie.
There were 52 hunters who picked up a shotgun for youth lottery deer hunts in 2008-09, and they killed a total of 40 deer.
Leslie said this season’s youth lottery deer hunts are scheduled for Oct. 24-25, Nov. 27-29, Dec. 5-6, Dec. 12-13, Dec. 26-27 and Jan. 2-3. Go on the LDWF’s Web site to get an application, he advised.
Johnson urges hunters just to get out in the woods, marshes and swamps, alone or otherwise. He’s taking a cue from another veteran wildlife biologist in Region 1 — wildlife division biologist manager Steve Hebert.
“Hunters should try and enjoy the few days a year they get to spend in the woods,” he said. “Taking a young hunter or an older hunter who can’t get around like he used to can be a really enjoyable experience. Hunters should try to have a good time, and not feel they are competing with the hunting videos and television shows.”
The Sportsman’s Paradise’s WMAs, U.S. Forest Service land and federal refuges give up plenty of big game, small game, turkeys, doves and migratory waterfowl. They are managed by professional game biologists who genuinely care about wildlife and the habitat in their respective regions and WMAs.
Those WMA biologists always suggest scouting the public area you want to hunt. Get a good handle on current conditions as sometimes they change year to year.
Get out some time during the late summer to hone your preseason plans. Find out what deer and small game are doing at different times of the day.
REGION 1
There was a mild winter and contrasting weather conditions after that with above-average rainfall in the spring and below-average precipitation in the early summer in Northwest Louisiana, Johnson said.
The Red River and tributaries flooded, but there were few negative impacts, he said. Interestingly enough, on Bodcau WMA, which he said has “beau coup deer,” the deer were eating Johnson grass when the water was high.
“They kind of mowed down the dove plots,” Johnson said.
There won’t be a major or lasting impact, though, and it has happened before in 2000-01, he reported.
Then, all of a sudden, it seemed, raindrops were at a premium, and he and others anticipated the region would experience severe drought-related problems.
“We got a little bit of rain three days ago and some three weeks ago. A lot depends on what condition the browse is in” going into the season, he said.
There was enough rain in July to get the vegetation back in “decent-looking shape,” he said.
Two major hurricanes that hit the coast and spun northward in September did little damage to animals, Johnson said.
“They (Ike and Gustav) didn’t really hurt us up here; didn’t bother our wildlife. We didn’t have any major impact as far as wildlife is concerned. Once it got around Natchitoches, it kind of settled out,” he said, noting the human impact included his own home and others there, all without power for a solid week.
Region 1’s WMAs are Bayou Pierre WMA, 2,212 acres in Red River and Desoto parishes; Bodcau WMA, 34,355 acres in Bossier and Webster parishes; Jackson-Bienville WMA, 32,460 acres in Bienville, Lincoln and Jackson parishes; Loggy Bayou WMA, 6,597 acres in Bossier Parish, and Soda Lake WMA, 2,500 acres in Caddo Parish.
The region enters the fall after a “fair to good” mast crop in 2008, so wildlife went into the spring in good condition. The 2009 acorn crop was looking the same as last year before the wet spring and dry first part of the summer, so it’s anyone’s guess what the mast crop will be like, he reported.
Johnson, though, said the dry spells just might reduce the quantity or quality of this year’s acorn crop. He noted if acorn production ends up being somewhat less this fall, the situation may work in favor of those hunters who put in time to scout because finding areas of good mast production should deliver higher concentrations of game.
Johnson said the feral hog population are high and increasing in his region.
Deer
Deer hunters might have a hard time believing it, the fact that the deer aren’t reaching their potential on WMAs in Region 1.
Sure, Johnson said, deer harvest was up on Jackson-Bienville, Loggy Bayou and Bodcau and down only slightly on Bayou Pierre, and overall hunter success rates were about average.
Johnson said some deer hunters may have a problem accepting the fact the deer numbers are higher than optimum and the body weights indicate the deer are running 10- to 20-percent lighter than their potential. Deer weights and overall condition are average in Region 6, he said.
Based on volunteer self-clearing and daily permit data from 2008-09, Jackson-Bienville led the way with 378 deer (27 more than 2007-08), followed by Bodcau with 222 deer (70 more than 2007-08) and Loggy Bayou WMA with 153 deer (20 more than 2007-08).
Going into 2009-10, Jackson-Bienville WMA and Bodcau WMA deer hunters can rest assured the seasons have been set in an effort to catch the rut on both areas — early in the hill country on Bodcau and later on Jackson-Bienville. Bodcau deer hunting opens in conjunction with the outside season, and Jackson-Bienville deer hunting opens Nov 21.
“Jackson-Bienville WMA’s loyal hunters know that the deer herd in that area has a later rut than most Northwest Louisiana herds. The season is to try and get hunters into the woods during the early portion of the rut,” he said. “Habitat changes (timber-related) on Jackson-Bienville WMA will require hunters to do a little scouting before opening day.”
As an aside, he noted LDWF personnel assignments and the cost of seed and fertilizer, hunters who regularly hunt on Jackson-Bienville may notice a reduction in the amount of annual, supplemental food strips and a conversion to perennial clover plots.
Johnson also said deer hunters at Jackson-Bienville should note daily permits will not be required for opening weekend of the modern firearms deer season — all hunting will be by self-clearing permit only.
Field reports this spring and summer indicate the deer numbers still are high on Bodcau, where gun hunters should have their best success hunting in early November, which is when the rut usually is in full swing. Also, try to plan weekday hunts as the hunting pressure drops off during the week.
Bowhunters who want a chance to hit a Pope & Young quality deer should look to Loggy Bayou. Several quality deer were harvested there last season, and are expected to come off it again this season. Johnson said archers should concentrate their efforts there during December and early January.
By the way, Soda Lake WMA also offers archery hunting for deer and falconry.
Squirrel
Squirrel hunters have appealing options when hunting on Region 1 WMAs, Johnson said.
With squirrel populations just about equal on Bodcau, Jackson-Bienville and Loggy Bayou, hunters can base their preference on preferred hunting habitat. Those wanting a long, hardwood bottom bordered by mixed pine/hard forests should hunt Bodcau. Those hunters who like to hunt exclusively bottomland hardwoods and don’t need a large area should focus on Loggy Bayou. And hunters who are looking for scattered hardwood bottoms interspersed with open pine forests should head to Jackson-Bienville.
The 2008-09 squirrel harvest rates might be a little deceiving. There were reported 2,358 squirrels taken off Bodcau, 1,570 squirrels reported bagged on Jackson-Bienville and 407 squirrels reported shot on Loggy Bayou. But remember, Bodcau is nearer to large population areas like Shreveport, Bossier and Haughton, which means it offers prime squirrel hunting on public land closer to home for many people in that area.
Rabbit
Three Region 1 WMAs offer fair to good “bunny chasing” in January and February, Johnson said.
He advised rabbit hunters to check out Bayou Pierre, Loggy Bayou and Jackson-Bienville, in that order.
“All three WMAs offer opportunities for fun and productive” rabbit hunting, he said.
“Just remember, if your rabbit dogs run deer, you will hear a lot of barking,” he added.
Loggy Bayou led the way this past season with 82 rabbits reported killed (based on volunteer self-clearing and daily permit data), down from 135 in 2007-08, followed by Bodcau with a reported 28, up from 12; Bayou Pierre with 25, down from 100, and Jackson-Bienville with a reported 21, down from 69.
“There are some fields that are pretty decent” as far as soil quality, Johnson said about Loggy Bayou.
“So there’s lots of good stuff for them to eat,” he said.
That WMA’s openings make it even more favorable to rabbit hunting, he said.
REGION 2
Region 2 wildlife biologist supervisor Gerald Owens knows good hunting grounds for public enjoyment and overall satisfaction when he sees them, and he sees it happening this year in Region 2.
“Overall, I’m expecting a good season this year on most species, especially deer. The potential is good,” Owens said.
Of course, Mother Nature can and does step in to have a say. Take the Thanksgiving weekend either-sex gun hunts for deer last season on Ouachita and Russell Sage — please. Heavy rainfall that weekend knocked down the harvest big time, Owens said.
Still, the 2008-09 deer harvest was one of the best in recent years, he said.
Above-average rainfall in the spring and drought conditions throughout June and July had an impact on the region, he said, noting extremely dry conditions often result in reduced fawn survival and antler development. Owens and other concerned outdoorsmen were relieved to see the rain come down hard over much of the region in July.
“We have gotten some (rainfall) in the last week or so. We were just bone dry. We needed it. (But) I don’t know if the drought we had was of a duration where it will hurt us too much,” Owens said.
Deer
Owens and hundreds of others were looking forward to fair to good deer hunting on WMAs in Region 2.
“We’re hoping for a good season as of right now. We’re pretty optimistic,” he said.
Optimism can be dampened by rain, which is what happened last Thanksgiving at Ouachita and Russell Sage.
As a result, Union emerged with the top deer harvest during the gun season with a reported 297 kills in 2008-09. That’s an all-time record, Owens said, on the public hunting area with hills and piney woods that beckon hunters. Rain, he pointed out, doesn’t hurt the hunter there.
Russell Sage followed with 100 deer reported harvested for all types of hunting, despite that washed-out holiday weekend in November. Deer hunters who went on Bayou Macon during the two-day either-sex hunt reportedly killed 70 deer.
“Bayou Macon’s success rate was real good for the hunter turnout we had,” Owens said, noting the harvest there was one of the best in recent years.
The reason, he said, probably is that the area has the necessary food and cover to produce quality deer.
Ouachita has had an outstanding hunter success rate per deer killed over the past several years due to the department’s timber and habitat management program, he said.
He pinpointed the areas for bigger deer as Russell Sage and Bayou Macon because of the quality of hardwood habitat, soil composition and age structure of the deer herd.
“Bayou Macon had good deer over there” taken last season, he said.
Some bucks went over 200 pounds, he said, and Union WMA had several 8- and 10-point bucks killed.
“You get in bottomland hardwood areas like Russell Sage. and it’s common to get 200-pound-plus deer,” he said.
Interestingly enough, Owens said one of the department employees from his office saw a doe with three fawns the third week of July on Russell Sage. He said that sight isn’t extremely rare but not exactly common.
Squirrel
A “fair” mast crop last year and for the two or three years before that means a fair to reasonably good squirrel harvest this season on WMAs in Region 2, according to Owens.
“I think it’ll be a reasonably good harvest — certainly enough to warrant someone to go squirrel hunting,” he said.
Squirrel hunters who want a bushy-tailed critter lined up in their sights this fall and winter should point their guns to Russell Sage, Bayou Macon and Union. Bottomland hardwood habitat makes the first two areas prime squirrel-hunting WMAs.
Last season, the reported hunter per squirrel harvested ratio was 1.2 per hunter effort on Russell Sage and 1.1 per hunter effort on Bayou Macon.
Union has limited hardwoods along drains in the midst of commercial timber operations. But where the habitat’s suitable, there are squirrels in those locations, Owens said. That explains the reported 2.4 squirrel per hunter effort there, tops in the region for WMAs.
Rabbit
One of the most intriguing public/private partnerships is on Union, which is owned by the Plumb Creek Timber Co. The foresting firm allows the state to operate a public use area there without a charge, lease-free, as it manages primarily pine tree harvest. Timber regeneration there provides an abundance of food and cover for rabbits.
The end result is that many rabbits thrive on the WMA that gave up 2.1 rabbits per hunter effort in 2008-09.
For those who prefer hunting rabbits in hardwood forests, turn to Ouachita and Bayou Macon, which had a 1.3 rabbit per hunter effort and 1.5 rabbit per hunter effort last season, respectively.
REGION 3
A few days before August, the talk around Region 3 was of the hunting outlook for wood ducks and doves, both of which looked darned good for certain WMAs in Czerny Newland’s Region 3.
Of course, everyone was talking about the prospects this upcoming season for deer, squirrel and rabbit hunting, too, on the public areas in that part of Louisiana.
The wildlife biologist supervisor for the region said he and others department veterans were seeing “a lot of doves here right now.”
“We’re doing pretty good with our dove trapping right now,” Newland said the last week of July.
Wood ducks should be plentiful when the waterfowl season rolls around as about 500 wood duck boxes strategically placed by the LDWF were used earlier this year on private
lands and WMAs in the region, Newland said. Wood duck production was excellent, which means there should be many locally raised birds whistling and flying through the treelines for the 2009-10 season.
For a while, there was a great deal of concern about first the extended period of flooding in May and June and then the lack of rain in June and the first part of July.
“Well, we’ve had a fairly mild summer. We didn’t get the drought we were expecting. It started off in June like we’d have a real drought, but the rains relieved that situation. It’s not dry to the point where we lose food supply for deer and rabbit,” Newland said the third week of July.
As for the flooding, the water fell early enough that fawn production should be OK, he said.
“Seasonal flooding is common on these WMAs, and unless it goes on for an unusually long period, there is not much concern,” he said.
Browse conditions were fair at the time, he said, but the mast crop’s health was up in the air. If an extended drought occurred, browse and mast production would be recorded, which would mean body weights and reproduction might suffer. After the mid-July rains, concerns were eased.
Deer
Where is one of the traditional areas to shoot a deer in Region 3?
“I think Dewey Wills is going to have a good year,” Newland said. “A really good mast crop (last year) put deer in good condition. That looks promising.”
The fact that it’s an uplands area with prime habitat helps, he said. That might explain why 333 deer (based on harvest data from self-clearing permits) were harvested in 2008-09 off the fertile areas of Dewey Wills.
Camp Beauregard, which had a reported 147 deer harvested last season, and Sabine are the other top producers in the region, and should be again in 2009-10, he said. Deer habitat is good on those areas, too, Newland said.
Dewey Wills also provides deer hunters the best chance to get a large deer, the veteran wildlife biologist said.
Going into the season, Newland offered another report from the field.
“We’re not seeing a lot of fawns, but that’s not unusual,” he said in mid-summer. “We don’t do a lot of bush-hogging in the grassy areas. The way our habitat conditions are, we really don’t see them a lot.”
Squirrel
What do Dewey Wills and Little River have in common as the calendar pages disappear one by one before the start of the 2009-10 hunting season in Louisiana?
Both had very good acorn crops in 2008, which translates into good reproductive potential and a greater chance for many areas to have an impressive crop of young squirrels, said Newland.
That would fall in line with reported harvest results in 2008-09 that pegged Dewey Wills with 1,921 and Little River with 399.
Imagine what those good acorn crops on those areas will mean for squirrel hunting prospects this season.
However, Newland said, slightly below-average squirrel crops are expected on the remaining Region 3 WMAs due to relatively poor hard mast production in upland areas for 2008.
Rabbit
As of mid-July, Newland and other LDWF employees were seeing a lot of rabbits, many of them in the “farm country” areas, he said, which should please a fairly high number of ardent rabbit hunters in the region. He predicted fair to good hunting for rabbits.
“We have pretty good interest in it in the places available. A fair number of people have beagles,” Newland said.
Dewey Wills, Sabine and Little River have the best habitat conditions for rabbits and should be the top three areas for rabbit hunting again, he said.
Last season, Dewey Wills led the way in reported rabbit harvests (based mostly on self-clearing permits) with 157 hares, followed by Sabine with 91.
REGION 4
There are contrasting efforts and, as a result, contrasting harvests for small game that reside on WMAs in Region 4.
Squirrels are abundant and squirrel hunting is popular in the region, particularly on Big Lake WMA. Nearly 9,000 squirrels were harvested last season on just the top three squirrel-producing WMAs.
On the other hand, rabbits are plentiful, too, but you could almost count on two hands the number of people who target them specifically.
That’s the state of small-game hunting on the region’s WMAs.
“There’s been a trend (of declining rabbit hunting efforts) ongoing for the last three decades. I’ll bet there’s not 10 guys here who have beagles that they run in the old tradition. They just don’t do it any more,” said John Leslie, wildlife biologist supervisor for Region 4. “That’s a shame because we have thousands of acres of good rabbit hunting habitat.”
Squirrels are a top draw.
“Oh, we do have squirrels,” Leslie said about the numerous fox and grays — a mix of about 50-50 with the fox squirrels favoring big, open mature trees and the gray squirrels preferring bushy areas where they play around in the understory.
There’s plenty of each habitat in Region 4.
“You can easily kill a mixed bag of squirrels. I’ve done it on many occasions — come out with three gray, three fox,” Leslie said.
Going into the season, habitat conditions improved a little after an extended period of extra-hot, extra-dry weeks in June and early July. That followed extended flooding from early April into June.
Leslie said his region went six weeks without rain, so it was extremely dry.
“It’s going to take an awful lot of rain to take care of the deficit here. It was really dry here in late spring,” he said. “(But) I don’t think it’s drastic enough to make a difference in the game population.”
The swollen Mississippi River waters inundated huge chunks of acreage of bottomland hardwoods on Red River/Three Rivers, he said. But the river returned to normal summertime stages starting in early July.
Deer
There was some concern during drought-like conditions in late spring and early summer among deer hunters and wildlife biologists who manage WMAs in Region 4.
Leslie said the alarm has subsided. Rain in mid-July helped, he said the third week of the month, noting the fawns would be hitting the ground and the rainfall would help does in their efforts to nourish the fawns.
He also knows the deer herd is in good shape before 2009-10. Red River/Three Rivers and Bouef boast excellent deer habitat, he said, thanks in part to continued habitat improvements from timber harvest projects.
The deer harvests reached historic levels last season on Red River/Three Rivers, where 515 deer were reported killed; Bouef, where 261 deer were reported harvested, and Buckhorn, which gave up a reported 260 deer.
Best for a trophy buck? Try Bouef or Red River, where experienced hunters, combined with great habitat, large areas and adjacent agricultural fields, equal larger-than-average bucks.
Squirrel
A Region 4 biologist’s report from the woods ought to put a smile on the faces of squirrel hunters who frequent Region 4’s top WMAs.
“The biologist in the field all the time told me one of the earliest mast crops he’s seeing in the woods right now is outstanding. That’s always great news for squirrel hunters,” Leslie said.
After 2008-09’s great squirrel harvest, he is even more optimistic going into the new season on the mature, bottomland forests of at least three WMAs.
There were 3,800 squirrels reported killed on Big Lake, 3,300 on Red River/Three Rivers and 1,600 on Bouef, he said.
Rabbit
Wanted: rabbit hunters. There are rabbits to be chased and downed on a handful of WMAs in Region 4.
Trouble is, as Leslie said earlier, rabbit hunting is declining in the region.
Before last season, Leslie said, “We have reforested areas that are perfect right now. We welcome any more rabbit hunters.”
Top WMAs for rabbit hunting here would be Bouef, Buckhorn, Red River and Three Rivers. There are extensive reforestation projects on those areas that are beneficial to rabbits.
Despite all that prime rabbit hunting habitat, fewer than 200 rabbits were reported killed in 2006-07. Last season, Leslie said, fewer than 50 rabbits were harvested in the entire region.
REGION 5
Remember the good ol’ days, which really weren’t that long ago, when you could get a limit of squirrels out of one certain tree on Sabine Island one day and go back the next day and get another limit from the same tree?
Wendell Smith, a 20-year veteran wildlife biologist, certainly remembers those days. Smith knew so many squirrel hunters who filled the campground each fall to hunt the swampy public area that was notorious around the state and region for its awesome squirrel hunting.
Hurricane Rita ended the dream spot when its eye passed over the island in September 2005. The storm smashed trees and branches and left the prime squirrel habitat a shambles.
“Rita wreaked havoc,” Smith said the third week of July.
But all is not lost, he added quickly.
“There are still places you can hunt if you put your time in to scout,” he said.
On a positive note, Sabine Island is “full of wood ducks” each season, he said.
Plant workers around Lake Charles were scheduling vacations at the time to hunt game, big and small, on the top WMAs in Region 5. They realize it’s a place where last season one of every six hunting efforts was rewarded with a deer on opening Saturday on Clear Creek WMA in Vernon Parish.
Opening weekend there is the last Saturday of every October, Smith said. The ratio was 1:7 for the two-day opening weekend in 2008-09.
The biologist compared those numbers — 1:6 and 1:7 — to the 1:4 enjoyed on the spacious Red River WMA in Region 4.
“It shows we have some quality deer hunting areas in Southwest Louisiana,” Smith said.
Those areas are in fairly good shape going into the season as habitat enhancement projects are growing and mid-July rains helped counter a hot and dry June. Fort Polk and West Bay were affected by the drought. But …
“If normal rainfall patterns resume in the next week, the acorn crop should be OK,” Smith said.
Deer
Considering those opening weekend deer harvest numbers on Clear Creek, that public area has something special going for it, including the fact it’s probably the one area in the region where hunters have the best chance to kill a trophy buck. That would be a high deer density.
“We do a good job of keeping the deer herd close to the ‘carrying capacity,’” Smith said.
“That along with harvesting a balanced age group and thinning the doe population ensures that adult bucks will be moving during the rut, giving our hunters the best chance for success,” he said. “However, the potential is there on all of our WMAs to take a nice deer.”
Again, going back to opening weekend stats on Clear Creek, Smith said there were several deer taken there in the 175-pound class last season, “which is excellent for a pure pine area.”
Also, he said, there were several real nice bucks taken that opening weekend out of West Bay.
The deer are there going into the fall.
“I was out on West Bay last week counting turkey (poults), and I counted eight or nine deer on the side of the road. If you can see that many deer just driving through, then the herd’s doing pretty well,” he said.
Clear Creek gave up a reported 339 deer last season, while West Bay’s reported deer harvest was 227 and Fort Polk’s reported deer harvest was 193 (Fort Polk was closed to the public most of the season due to military training).
Squirrel
Despite the decline in squirrel hunting harvest on Sabine Island, squirrels can be found and shot there each season if hunters scout the open areas.
“The squirrels are still there,” Smith said about the WMA that was impacted four years ago this month by Hurricane Rita.
“You can find some good spots on the ridges. There are some ridges — still some places where you can see somewhat,” he said. “It’s typical swamp hunting. Wade sloughs and shoot them off the ridges.”
The leading squirrel hunting WMA last season, however, was West Bay, where a reported 606 squirrels were bagged. Following West Bay, Fork Polk had a reported 233 and Clear Creek had a reported 175.
“Fort Polk has more hardwoods and thus more squirrels. However, due to military training, access is limited,” Smith said. “If the majority of Fort Polk were to open up for the first few weekends of the squirrel season, I would put this area first in harvest numbers.”
Last fall’s hurricane knocked down the mast crop in the region, which was moderate at best. What acorns weren’t eaten by feral hogs almost as soon as they hit the ground were washed away.
However, as long as at least one species of trees produces mast, squirrel hunting around the region will be fair to good.
Rabbit
West Bay in Allen Parish usually gives up the most rabbits year in and year out, Smith said, noting 41 rabbits were harvested there to lead the region’s WMAs in 2008-09.
“West Bay toward the end of the season, a lot of people were running dogs and I think they were pretty successful,” he said.
Following West Bay as a top rabbit producer was Clear Creek with 26.
Rabbits appeared to be prolific throughout the region’s public hunting areas.
“I saw a lot of rabbits just driving around unincorporated areas south of Lake Charles,” he said.
REGION 6
Hurricane Gustav in September did to Sherburne WMA what Hurricane Rita did for Attakapas WMA in September 2005.
Rabbit hunters and, to a degree, squirrel hunters and deer hunters have enjoyed highly successful hunts ever since Rita came up south-central Louisiana and wreaked havoc on Attakapas, located on the west side of the Atchafalaya Basin. Tony Vidrine, Region 6 wildlife manager and veteran wildlife biologist, said damage done to Attakapas was similar to what Gustav did to Sherburne.
Rabbit hunting, for sure, has improved tremendously on Attakapas, where more than 400 rabbits were reported killed in 2008-09.
“The thing about Attakapas, it’s not a high-use area. If you average out the hunter effort, sometimes it’s better for squirrels and rabbits even for deer. Some guys hunt it a lot and really do good,” Vidrine said.
Sherburne’s deer and small game hunting already is regarded as fair to good, mostly the latter. Just think what it’ll be like in the post-Gustav years.
On the other hand, first Hurricane Ike and then Hurricane Gustav also had a negative impact on the region’s WMAs, Vidrine said, because some young deer were lost.
“I’m thinking we may have lost some fawns in the hurricanes,” he said.
Fawns apparently succumbed to flooding or got separated from their mothers and died, he said. Hunters in the woods last season reported seeing fewer fawns, he said, and cameras he has out for surveys are picking up fewer fawns.
Hunters also reported finding dead fawns in the woods in the weeks immediately after the storms.
“But they’ll bounce back,” he said about the overall deer herd. “I didn’t have any reports of dead deer besides fawns.”
Otherwise, the winter was fairly mild. Rainfall was sufficient in the spring and early summer, then hit a hot, dry stretch that apparently didn’t affect browse plants on the region’s WMAs.
In fact, Vidrine said browse conditions and food availability should be excellent going into the season due to the openings made in the forest canopy during Gustav, which also created plenty of cover with all the treetops that were knocked over.
Mid-July rainfall was timely.
“Everything’s starting to get green again. It was still good. Those years we have had real dry weather … it hasn’t got to the point it’s real bad yet,” he said.
About the only other setback from last summer’s hurricanes is the fact it’s a little tougher to get around because all of the debris, he said.
Last year’s acorn crop was excellent throughout the region, despite the hurricanes.
“They knocked a lot out of the trees, but
there was still a lot in the trees, and looking at the trees now, we have a fair acorn crop. It won’t be as good as last year, but I think it’ll be pretty good,” Vidrine said. “We had an excellent mast crop on all the WMAs in the region, and some of the acorns were still available in early spring.”
Deer
Want a big buck in your sight this season? Head to Thistlethwaite, which is in the fourth year of a 10-year experimental season with antler restrictions on the bucks. Take it from Vidrine: The harvest of big bucks is increasing with each season.
“We saw a slight increase in the number of older bucks taken on Thistlethwaite last season, and I expect more older bucks taken this season,” the wildlife biologist said.
He also noted landowners have harvested timber extensively, and there was a lot of damage from Gustav, which will help improve the habitat for deer, creating more food and cover.
“Due to the habitat conditions, antler restrictions in place for the fourth year, soil type, timber type and genetics of the deer, Thistlethwaite should continue its reputation of producing big deer for years to come,” he said.
Vidrine also likes the trophy-buck potential of Grassy Lake, where deer hunting clubs in that part of Avoyelles Parish manage for quality deer and as a result, deer hunters on the public area often reap the rewards.
“We get some spillover from older, good bucks from the adjacent landowners,” he said.
There are other areas that offer deer hunters a shot at a big buck.
“Every year we see a few real good deer, some off Sherburne, and I expect that will be the case again this season,” he said. “More food and cover available due to the tree damage caused by the hurricane (is one reason). Sherburne is over 43,000 acres, and has always had a high-density deer herd.
“Hunters should not have as hard of a time moving around this year, barring another hurricane. With the low harvest we had last year on this area, the carryover should help produce some higher harvest numbers this season.”
Ditto for Thistlethwaite, he said, which also has very active forest logging.
What were the top WMAs for deer harvest in 2008-09?
• Grassy Lake led the way with one deer harvested per 12 hunter efforts, and a reported total deer harvest of 181.
• Pomme de Terre also had one deer harvested per 12 hunters efforts and a reported total deer harvest of 68.
• Sherburne had a harvest of one deer per 12 hunter efforts with a reported total deer harvest of 444. Remember, though, Vidrine said, Sherburne is the largest WMA in the region, with more than 43,000 acres in the WMA.
Summer food plots have not fared well on the region’s WMAs, where planted, Vidrine said, but fall food plots usually provide a good supplement.
“Looking at some of the red oaks early on, it looks like we may have a good crop of acorns again this winter, probably not as good as the last crop, but it should be average,” he said.
Squirrel
Thistlethwaite has got squirrels year-in and year-out.
Last season, the total reported harvest was 2,639, by far the most in Region 6. Expect similar results this season.
“Thistlethwaite has an abundance of mast-crop trees, and squirrels have already been abundant on this area. Logging and hurricane damage may make squirrel hunting a little more difficult,” Vidrine said, “but with the amount of oaks in this area, it will always be a top squirrel harvest area.”
Thistlethwaite was followed on the squirrel harvest list by Sherburne, with a reported kill of 2,561.
“Sherburne WMA is a very diverse area with three different landowners involved,” Vidrine said. “The LDWF has a very active forest management plan with logging taking place on that portion of the area, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not do much in the way of logging on their respective properties, so you will always have those clean understory, bigger mast tree areas, along with areas that have been logged.”
Grassy Lake had a reported squirrel harvest of 1,109 in 2008-09.
Rabbit
What are the best places to hunt rabbits in Region 6 in 2009-10?
Vidrine lists Attakapas, Sherburne and Grassy Lake, in that order, which is the way the reported rabbit harvest numbers ranked last season.
Attakapas gave up 409 rabbits, mostly due to the amount of cover and the fact high waters in the Spillway concentrate the hares on higher ground.
Gustav opened the forest canopy due to toppled trees, thus creating better rabbit habitat that hunters took advantage of on Sherburne, which yielded a reported 209 rabbits.
Grassy Lake’s reported rabbit harvest last season was 103.
REGION 7
This region was on the “dirty side” of Hurricane Gustav, which went in just to the west along the coast, and, to an extent, of Hurricane Ike, which ravaged the Galveston area.
“We got a salt burn on some of the coastal WMAs during Gustav and Ike,” Chris Davis, Region 6 wildlife manager, said. And, he said with emphasis, animals and plants adapt to that development.
“This is South Louisiana,” he said. “Deer are tough animals. They’ll bounce back from it.”
Apparently, there were more benefits from the hurricanes. For example, he said, they “actually improved the habitat on Tunica Hills WMA by knocking down some trees and allowing light to reach the ground, thus thickening up some of the too-open habitat.
“Despite the hurricanes, we generally had a good acorn crop on those WMAs with oak trees. It is a little early to guess what the acorns are going to do this year. A prolonged drought will not help.”
However, after so many consecutive weeks of dry weather this summer, there was some concern about habitat conditions. Then some welcome rains fell in the region starting in mid-July.
“The rains are obviously going to help vegetation out there right now,” Davis said.
The veteran wildlife biologist was keeping a keen eye on the turkey poult population at the time. He pointed out heavy rain isn’t favorable when those youngsters are on the ground.
Davis likes what he sees.
“I’ve been running remote cameras,” he said, adding he baits an area with a handful of “chicken scratch” in strategic locations.
He reported seeing “a good number” of poults.
Deer
Hurricanes Ike and Gustav didn’t hurt Pearl River and helped Tunica Hills’ deer herds, according to Davis.
Pearl River’s deer population has flourished in prime habitat created by the destructive forces of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As he said earlier, Tunica Hills’ understory mushroomed with the passage of Ike and Gustav.
So what are the traditional deer hunting hotspots in Region 6?
Compile all the archery, primitive weapon and modern firearm data together and, he said, the rundown from last season looks like this:
• Maurepas Swamp had a reported one deer per 13.2 hunter efforts. Total: 204.
• Ben’s Creek had a reported one deer per 26.0 hunter efforts. Total: 113.
• Tunica Hills had a reported one deer per 31.9 efforts. Total: 92.
Look at it another way, based on data turned in by hunters, and Davis noted last season there was one deer killed per 63 acres, Ben’s Creek had one deer killed per 123 acres and Maurepas had one deer killed per 332 acres.
Some of the biggest deer in the region each season come off Tunica Hills. Why? Davis said it’s because the soils are very good, and a higher percentage of the buck population is getting age and, hence, better antlers.
Also, Tunica Hills has strictly a long archery season and a two-week-long primitive weapon season that’s held before the rut.
Another thing about Tunica Hills that hunters should take into account: It’s got deep ravines and high ridges, and many hunters just aren’t used to hunting terrain like that, Davis said.
“It’s got very ragged topography, is how I describe it,” he said.
About Maurepas Swamp, Davis called it a “swamp version” of Tunica Hills. It has more deer and more acreage, he said, but “it’s hard to hunt. People ask, ‘Where are our trails?’ I say, ‘There are none.’ The more you hunt it, the more knowledgeable you are of the area.”
The increased knowledge brings success, he said.
Squirrel
Davis expects squirrel hunting success this season to be about equal to last season on the region’s top WMAs.
His first three picks for squirrel hunting are Maurepas Swamp, where .9 squirrels were reported killed per hunter effort in 2008-09, Tunica Hills, where .46 squirrels were reported killed per hunter effort last season, and Pearl River, where .35 squirrels were reported killed per hunter effort in ‘08-09.
For reported squirrel harvest totals, it was Pearl River with 568, Maurepas Swamp with 454 and Tunica Hills with 132.
Rabbit
One of the most likely places to shoot rabbits in Region 6 is Ben’s Creek.
Statistics from last season bear out that fact. There were .63 rabbits killed per hunter effort for a reported total harvest of 524.
Pearl River is right behind it, Davis said, noting the brush is so thick. However, rabbits can be killed on the trails and, if hunters can tolerate them, in the thickets there. Last season hunters apparently did both to get .35 per effort on their way to killing a reported 415 rabbits.
Maurepas Swamp had a reported 240 rabbits killed (.46 per hunter effort).
