The state’s wildlife management areas offer thousands of acres of prime hunting opportunities, but which ones are best? Here’s all you need to know to schedule out your hunting season.
Two of Louisiana’s many Wildlife Management Areas were thrust into the spotlight since the summer of 2012.
One of them, the 70,000-acre Red River/Three Rivers WMA complex, got plenty of attention when it was renamed in May by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission in honor of the late Richard K. Yancey, a former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary who died March 19 at the age of 88.
The other public tract to hit the news was Buckhorn WMA, which showed on Dec. 29 what our state’s public lands can produce when Eric Davis of Winnsboro killed a 210-pound, 13-point buck on the opening day of the primitive firearms season. That animal scored more than 175 inches Boone & Crockett.
Those are points for hunters to remember heading into the 2013-14 hunting seasons on WMAs located in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (South and North), Gulf Coast Plain (Northern, Eastern and Western) and the Coastal and Nongame Resources Division.
After checking with LDWF biologists in charge of each of the public hunting areas, the overall outlook is bright for deer, squirrels, rabbits, ducks and more.
Of course, Mother Nature will have the last say on any degree of success.
Richard K. Yancey WMA in the MAV South was named to honor a pioneering state biologist who loved his hunting dogs, loved to hunt ducks and other wild game, and loved to fish.
LDWF’s Johnathan Bordelon, who oversees that WMA, said Yancey blazed a trail in wildlife management.
Yancey earned numerous state and national honors, including the National Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Conservationist of the Year in 1980. The Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association, Louisiana Wildlife Federation and several biologist associations also recognized Yancey, who was with the department 31 years. The LSU graduate also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
The name change is fitting, too, because the large WMA is one of the most popular in the region, Bordelon said.
“It’s a big area and a productive area for a lot of different species,” Bordelon said from his Opelousas office. “Really, it’s great to honor folks who contribute like that. I’m glad to see people honored.”
However, it’s going to take some getting used to, he said.
“It’ll be a transition,” he said. “It’ll probably take a generation or two before people start calling it (Red River/Three Rivers WMA). I’m sure it’ll happen in time; I still can’t get in the habit.”
He likened the change to when Saline WMA was renamed Dewey Wills WMA, which also is located in the MAV South. Some outdoorsmen still call it Saline WMA, he said.
Signs designating Richard K. Yancey WMA were put up around there in early July, he said. The hunting regulations pamphlet due out before the hunting season will give it the proper nomenclature, as well, as will the online version, he said.
Davis, an electrician from Winnsboro, put Buckhorn WMA on the map in late December with his 175-inch buck, which was one of 222 killed by hunters in 2,578 hunter efforts (archery, firearms and primitive weapons) in 2012-13, according to LDWF’s Lowrey Moak.
That WMA, Moak said, has greatly improved deer habitat that in turn increases the chance of harvesting a trophy deer.
Moak won’t get an argument from Davis, who is a member of a hunting club in Madison Parish. But Davis enjoys hunting on Buckhorn WMA regularly, he said shortly after putting down the trophy buck.
“I really like this area,” he said. “My friends and I have hunted here for a long time, and we’ve killed some nice deer on the area. Buckhorn has a good population of deer, and the habitat is the type that is going to hold some really good deer.”
Davis shot the deer with a .45-70.
Don’t be surprised to see more deer like that come off any of the state’s WMAs. However, there’s more to it than harvesting trophies, another veteran state biologist said.
More than one state conservation official emphasized the change in the deer-tagging allocation system for 2013-14 in the Sportsman’s Paradise: A resident deer hunter can get three antlerless tags, two antlered-deer tags and one tag of choice, which means he or she can go with a fourth antlerless deer or a third antlered deer.
Deer hunting clubs trying to manage the herds on their property should benefit greatly in this effort that shows, as Gulf Coastal Plain’s Western Region supervisor Wendell Smith of Lake Charles said, “we’re trying to go in the direction the public wants us to go.”
Smith echoed the sentiments of others when he said the state agency is making a concerted attempt to improve the tag reporting system, and also offered to field calls at his office for anyone who might have difficulty.
“We’ll validate the tags for them,” he said.
Smith also had some important news for quail hunters who want to work their dogs outside the season: By obtaining a permit, they can train their dogs on an area south of Fort Polk called, aptly enough, the Dove Field that is property of the U.S. Forest Service. The LDWF and USFS started this program so quail hunters can train their dogs on tame quail.
For more information, call Smith at 337-491-2575 or Jimmy Stafford 225-765-2800.
And hunters wanting to know about camping options, particularly in the Gulf Coast Plain’s Western Region, should feel free to call if they can’t find what they need on the department’s Web site. Hunters have called from Texas, including a military colonel from the Lone Star State who got in touch to inquire where he could park his trailer last year, Smith said.
One of the great things about the state’s WMA system is that hunters can travel from area to area to find one that fits.
Jeffery M. Johnson supervises the Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Region — that includes Alexander State Forest, Bayou Pierre, Bodcau, Camp Beuregard, Elbow Slough, Jackson-Bienville, Loggy Bayou, Sabine, Soda Lake and Union WMAs — said Jackson-Bienvill is one of the most popular stops in his area but that each public tract offers quality hunting opportunities.
“For folks in this part of the state, or who like to make the drive up to some of the other WMAs in this area, there is potential for good bucks on any of them,” Johnson said. “More importantly, there is potential for great deer hunting in general on all of them. Does are just as tasty (as bucks), and doe harvest — which keeps deer herds in check with the habitat and keeps balanced sex ratios — is equally as important as any other aspect of deer management.
“Everyone would like to kill a big buck, but that isn’t a requirement for most for a successful hunt. If that’s your thing go for it, but don’t let it make or break a hunt or be the sole factor of having a successful season.”
And the most-attractive public hunting areas don’t have to be the ultimate destination, especially in his region, Johnson said.
His top three deer-hunting WMAs for gun hunters without a doubt are Jackson-Bienville, Bodcau and Union WMAs. But don’t stop there, he said.
“Several of my other WMAs have excellent gun hunts, too — just more limited in number of days,” Johnson said. “Camp Beauregard consistently has successful and fairly high primitive firearms either-sex hunts each year. Sabine is a good area for gun hunters, as well.
“Last, but not least, Loggy Bayou WMA — although primarily archery hunting — has a jam-up modern firearms either-sex Thanksgiving weekend hunt followed by a week of primitive firearms either-sex hunting.”
Some of the most important advice was given by Charles Booth, biologist supervisor for the MAV North’s Monroe Region: Get your hands on a hunting pamphlet and read the rules and regulations for each area you intend to hunt. Look to see what each WMA has to offer, Booth said, and see if it fits your hunting aspirations.
There’s something else on the horizon that should get many outdoorsmen salivating.
Jimmy Anthony, assistant secretary of LDWF’s Office of Wildlife, said biologists and officials are considering opening a frog-hunting season June 1 on Salvador WMA southwest of New Orleans. Those big frogs haven’t been touched, ever — at least legally. Froggers will be chomping at the bit to get in there next year.
“There’s got to be some monsters out there,” Anthony said.
But deer hunters should be pleased with a major change made already for this season on Salvador WMA: For the first time, afternoon deer hunting will be allowed, Anthony said.
Gulf Coastal Plain
Hunters can’t wait for the seasons for their respective game and birds to get under way in this section of the state — one of the most popular Louisiana regions for public hunting.
The Gulf Coastal Plain’s top WMAs for deer last hunting season, based on reported harvests with self-clearing permits, were:
• Fort Polk — 612
• Jackson-Bienville — 330
• Tunica Hills — 127
Top squirrel-hunting destinations were:
• West Bay — 2,143
• Pearl River — 1,498
• Bodcau — 1,393
The region’s top four wildlife management areas in terms of rabbit hunting were:
• Maurepas Swamp — 156
• Union — 97
• Clear Creek and West Bay — roughly 85 rabbits apiece.
And there is some fair to good duck hunting certain to be enjoyed, weather and water conditions permitting, on many of the of the sprawling region’s WMAs —particularly in the Eastern Region under the watch of Christian Winslow.
“A few of our areas are pretty productive for waterfowl,” Winslow said. “We’ve got some pretty decent waterfowl hunting on the Pearl River and on Manchac and, to a lesser extent, on Joyce.”
Winslow said many of the ducks downed on Pearl River WMA are shot south of U.S. 90 because that’s where a majority of the waterfowl hunting happens.
But hunters do pretty well: Shooters last season reported 3,183 ducks harvested during 2,298 hunter efforts.
Manchac WMA’s duck harvest logged in at 1,344 birds during 933 hunter efforts, while Joyce WMA had 912 ducks taken in 623 hunter efforts.
“It’s a mixed bag of divers and dabblers,” Winslow said, noting top species were gadwall and blue-winged teal on Pearl River WMA and Manchac WMA, and blue-winged and green-winged teal on Joyce WMA.
Jefferey M. Johnson, an 11 ½-year veteran biologist with the LDWF, said hunters should remember that a hunt’s success is not measured only in the game taken.
“For all hunters, try and do the following: Enjoy the hunting experience to its fullest and each hunt will be a success, whether anything is harvested or not,” Johnson said. “Enjoy camaraderie between hunters. Be courteous. Be safe. Be aware, and try to learn something each time you go to the field. Open your eyes to what God has blessed you with each and every day you have in the field, and be thankful for it.
“When someone can learn to do those things, they will always have successful hunts.”
And Wendell Smith, another biologist supervisor in the Gulf Coastal Plain, said the WMA experience begins long before the first season kicks off.
“Take this time right now to start scouting if you want to be successful on WMAs,” Smith said. “You’ve got to spend this time scouting to find where those deer are.
“The ones that kill deer are the ones that put the time in.”
Also, Smith said, remember that the most successful hunters hunt the thickest, tangliest, brushiest areas.
He said the table was set nicely in the spring and early summer, with ample amounts of rainfall resulting in excellent habitat conditions.
Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Region
Optimism was running high for hunting big game and small game in this region of the Gulf Coastal Plain, according to Johnson.
“Habitat conditions are in good shape on all of my WMAs,” he said. “Last winter wasn’t harsh, and it appears we are finally out of the drought cycle.”
As a result, browse conditions and the mast crop should be in good shape, a refrain heard around the state.
Sometimes, though, too much of a good thing for wildlife can present a challenge to hunters — and that might be the case this season.
“The only drawback is it may make it harder for deer hunters because with another good acorn crop combined with good browse conditions, the main reason for deer to move will be rutting activity, and much less so to find food,” said Johnson. “Moving to find food should be relatively easy, making for less travel.
“Hunters can still try and focus on the feeding hotspots outside of the rut, but it may be tougher to narrow those down with such good habitat conditions.”
He had some good news for small-game hunters who want to turn their attention to his neck of the woods: Squirrel and rabbit hunters who hunt with dogs can do so on Bodcau WMA and Union WMA in the early part of December — nearly a month earlier than most WMAs. That applies to nighttime coon hunting with dogs as well, he said.
Deer
Johnson analyzes all the variables when he discusses deer hunting prospects on the WMAs in Gulf Coastal Plain’s North Region. He puts a lot of time and effort into it, so deer hunters can glean a wealth of information.
“For deer hunting, the best harvest is relative to method used,” he said. “It’s different for bow hunters versus gun hunters, so I like to list them differently depending on method used.”
He pointed out the following:
• Loggy Bayou WMA has a good population, and is primarily archery only.
• Alexander State Forest also is primarily archery-only for most of the season. It has a good population and, even during gun hunts, there are areas that aren’t open to gun hunting but always open to bowhunters.
• Bayou Pierre WMA and Soda Lake WMA also are archery-only, and hold decent deer numbers. Johnson said he ranks them below the above two WMA because the other two have higher archery harvests. But Loggy Bayou and Alexander State Forest also are decidedly larger and draw more hunters, which to some extent explains the higher harvests.
“If a hunter is looking for a place to archery hunt only and wants as limited disturbance for folks hunting other species as possible, then Bayou Pierre and Soda Lake would move to the top of the list,” Johnson said.
Also, he said, Camp Beauregard WMA is archery much of the season, and another solid option for people in and around Alexandria.
Gun hunters should head to Jackson-Bienville and Bodcau WMAs, with Union and Camp Beauregard WMAs right behind them.
Last season’s reported deer harvest numbers support his position: Jackson-Bienville WMA gave up 330 deer, Union WMA yielded 148 deer and Bodcau WMA produced 145 deer.
This is how Johnson broke it down:
• Jackson-Bienville WMA and Bodcau WMA have relatively long gun seasons compared to other WMAs. And, he said, they are both either-sex hunting for the entire season.
• Jackson-Bienville consistently has a higher harvest rate than Bodcau WMA, but there are many portions on the latter that see very limited pressure because deer hunters have to work to get to those areas. For those who exert themselves, the reward can be fantastic deer hunting.
“With Bodcau opening the same weekend as modern firearms season in Area 2 and running until after Thanksgiving, and with J-B opening the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and running through the end of December, hunters in this part of the state and those who are willing to make the drive up, have options for over two months of gun hunting between those two WMAs,” Johnson said.
Then there’s Union WMA, which has more modern firearms deer hunting days than most other WMAs — surpassed only in length by J-B WMA and Bodcau WMA.
Deer hunters can hunt for does or bucks the entire first week of the Area 2 season on Union and then all weekends after up through the first weekend of December, Johnson said.
“That’s a lot of either-sex hunting opportunity, and the deer population is there to justify it,” he said in his report.
Don’t let thoughts of big crowds of deer hunters dissuade you from trying Jackson-Bienville, Bodcau and Union WMAs, however. Why?
“Folks might think that with all that either-sex firearms hunting there would be big crowds, but that’s not necessarily so,” Johnson said. “They all three get decent crowds on their respective opening weekends, but nothing unmanageable — and after a few days the crowd dies down.
“There are still folks hunting there on the weekends, and you’d see other folks on occasion, but nothing like what a lot of folks think.”
Where to go for the best shot at a trophy-sized deer? Johnson had to settle on not one but two choices among his public hunting areas — and there are others that have great potential, too.
Loggy Bayou WMA, he said, offers trophy opportunities with either a gun or a bow. It also gives up nice bucks during the gun hunts as well.
“The last two years, at some point during the gun season, there has been one buck harvested that would’ve grossed in the 160s,” he said, explaining that the WMA is surrounded for the most part by landowners adhering to quality deer management. “So between that, and the limited gun seasons, you can expect more bucks to make it to older age classes and show more of their potential.
“Loggy Bayou doesn’t have the highest average weights of bucks on my WMAs, but pound for pound it has some of the best antler development.
“The gun hunts usually hit pretty close to the rut, so even though the gun seasons are short, they’re pretty good.”
For those who are solely gun hunters, Johnson chose Jackson-Bienville WMA because the gun hunting season is long enough to hit all phases of the rut. And, the veteran biologist said, good habitat combined with plenty of food helps bucks make it into older age classes.
“Of my WMAs, J-B consistently has the highest average body weights from year to year, and when bucks make it to older age classes, the antler development comes up just like the weights,” he said in his report.
Squirrels
Want squirrels in your bag in 2013-14? Then head to Bodcau WMA, which last season boasted the highest total squirrel harvest reported at 1,393 squirrels, Johnson said. It has a fine mix of bottomland hardwood, upland creek drains and upland mixed pine/hardwood areas for squirrel hunters to choose.
Jackson-Bienville WMA had the second-highest squirrel harvest in the region with a total reported take of 1,352 in 2012-13. That area has “a decent amount” of hardwood bottoms along creeks and drains, offering prime habitat to produce squirrels.
Camp Beauregard WMA had the third-highest squirrel harvest last season on his WMAs, he said, noting a total of 319 squirrels were reported bagged. While primarily an upland WMA, it features significant hardwood areas along the creeks and should have a decent squirrel population again this year.
“Good mast crops all around last year should result in another year of pretty good squirrel populations and good hunting on all of the WMAs that have mast-producing hardwood habitat,” Johnson said.
Rabbits
Top rabbit hunting areas here are pretty cut and dried. No one knows that better than Johnson.
Union WMA had the highest rabbit harvest in his region last season with a reported 97 hares harvested. It has plenty of cutover habitat and pine plantations with understory “that should also make for good rabbit production again this year,” he said.
Loggy Bayou WMA had the second-highest rabbit harvest last season at 73. A majority of the area has good rabbit habitat and always has been a consistent producer, he said.
Elbow Slough WMA checked in with the third-highest rabbit total with 35, despite only being open in February, he said. It also boasted the best success ratio among the WMAs he oversees.
“Other good options would be Sabine for those on the far west side of our area, Bodcau to the north or Jackson-Bienveille for those in the north-central part of my area,” Johnson said. “Bayou Pierre also used to be good and likely still would be, but … hunting (pressure) last season (was so low) that it didn’t have a harvest to speak of.
“There are plenty of rabbits being seen by our folks, though, when we are on Bayou Pierre. It just needs a few folks with good dogs to hunt it.”
Gulf Coastal Plain
Western Region
During the third week of July, Wendell Smith and his staffers were in the middle of multiple wildlife-related projects, including banding doves, getting ready to issue alligator tags and preparing to lease some dove fields.
At the time, WMAs he oversees were getting “plenty of rain.” He also was seeing many fawns and squirrels.
“Hopefully, we’ll have another good mast crop this fall,” he said. “The last couple of years it’s been a bumper crop.”
On West Bay and Clear Creek WMAs, hunters can continue to shoot hogs as long as there is any kind of hunting season open, per whatever weapons are allowed at that time.
Some loopholes in the hog hunting regulations established last year were closed this summer. As a result, the hunter can become an integral part of the management tool by pulling the trigger on hogs.
Clear Creek WMA, Smith said, also is a potential hotspot for some fair to good woodcock hunting success.
Deer
Smith was looking forward to deer hunting on Fort Polk WMA — which yielded a record number of deer last season — Clear Creek WMA, West Bay WMA and Peason Ridge WMA.
“We’ve got good recruitment and (received) lots of rain in the spring (and) lots of rain in the summer, so the browse will be real productive and the deer will be real healthy going into the deer season,” Smith said. “It all looks real good.”
Adequate rainfall means does can adequately feed their fawns milk. During drought the years in this region, a substantial number of fawns were lost because of a lack of that sustenance.
“We just don’t need a hurricane coming in,” Smith said.
In 2012-13 on Fort Polk WMA, 612 deer were harvested — the most ever on that 100,000-acre public hunting area. For the previous three years, reported numbers totaled 372 in 2011, 563 in 2010 and 517 in 2009.
At least half of the deer killed there last season came from the Fullerton Area on the east side of Fort Polk WMA, which has two either-sex hunts scheduled this season.
“There’s a fantastic deer herd up there, and they have some big ones up there,” Smith said. “It’s just beautiful up there.”
Other deer harvest numbers reported las season were:
• Clear Creek — 347
• West Bay — 257
• Peason Ridge — 114
“Nice racks came off of West Bay this past season,” Smith said. “The best WMA producing big-racked deer is Peason Ridge.
“However, all WMAs in my district have the potential for producing fine bucks.”
Squirrel
Since last year’s mast crop was categorized as “pretty good,” Smith was hopeful for some more-consistent squirrel hunting success on West Bay WMA.
There were 2,143 squirrels reported harvested there in 2012-13 — far ahead of any of the other WMAs in the Gulf Coast Plain Western Region. The season before, there were 1,211 squirrels reported killed on West Bay WMA.
Why is West Bay WMA so productive?
“Compared to Clear Creek, it has a few more hardwoods,” he said. “On the north end of West Bay is Bay Gall. It’s got a lot of water oaks and stuff in there. That’s where they do a majority of … (squirrel) harvesting.”
Smith said he is hopeful the upcoming winter is cold so the squirrels will be on the move.
“I’m not sure what kind of mast crop we’re going to have, but with this rain — every-day raining — it looks good,” he said. “I assume we’ll have a pretty good crop.”
The veteran biologist has noted in the past that squirrel hunting success is slowly coming back on Sabine Island WMA. Once a mecca of squirrel hunting in the Sportsman’s Paradise, it was torn asunder by Hurricane Rita in 2005. Damaged trees continue to rot and the understory is opening up again, he said.
Rabbits
Best bets for rabbit hunters to bag one or more rabbits this season are Clear Creek and West Bay WMAs, Smith said. Each area had about 85 rabbits (up from an estimated 75 on each in 2011-12) recorded harvested in 2012-13, according to Smith.
As for overall success, he said, it’s hard to predict.
“You know, that’s up and down,” Smith said. “We’ve been seeing more rabbits lately. I can tell when I’m driving home … on our entrance roads.”
However, it’s not easy hunting, even when there are hares galore.
“That’s limited (rabbit) hunting on our areas,” Smith said. “Most of the areas are pine plantations. We have rabbits — just not like everywhere like south of here.”
Gulf Coastal Plain Eastern Region
Almost daily thunderstorms during the third week of July were adding to the optimism exuded by Christian Winslow of Covington, a 10-year veteran game biologist who oversees the WMAs in this part of Louisiana.
Other weather factors earlier in the year were encouraging, as well, Winslow said of hunting prospects on Maurepas Swamp WMA, Pearl River WMA, Sandy Hollow WMA and Tunica Hills WMA.
“We had a mild winter, which should have helped carry over more wildlife in better condition into the spring,” Winslow said.
He pointed out average temperatures were 4 degrees above normal in December and January and 2 degrees above normal in February.
Plus, Winslow said, drought wasn’t an issue.
“We had rain at the right time. We’re certainly not deficient of rain at this moment,” he said. “The habitat’s looking good. A lot of browse species are doing well. As long as we can avoid any tropical systems, we’ll probably be doing pretty good going into the open hunting season.”
He was happy to report that conditions have improved greatly since Hurricane Isaac (Aug. 21-Sept. 1, 2012). The Pearl River stage soon substantially soon after the storum, he said, allowing the habitat time to dry out in time for fawning and poult-rearing.
“Indications (are) we still have a lot of deer and deer sign in the woods, and that’s very encouraging,” he said about Pearl River, Manchac and Joyce WMAs, which were inundated by the storm surge.
“Even though we lost some deer, I don’t think it was a catastrophic event, as far as wildlife,” he said.
But the fall 2012 acorn crop in his region was slightly below average last year, he reported, with red oaks having higher production than white oaks.
Deer
Fairly accessible areas and some little-bit-harder-to-get-to areas await deer hunters on this region’s WMAs.
“Of our nine WMAs, Tunica Hills WMA likely offers the best chance at a big buck during the 2013-14 season,” Winslow said. “The fertile, productive habitat and the relatively high deer herd make this a prime deer area.”
But there’s more to the big-buck opportunities in the easter part of the Gulf Coastal Region. Maurepas Swamp and Joyce WMAs also offer good shots to harvest some nice deer. Sure, Winslow said, it’s more difficult to access those areas, but that means there are a number of quality, older age-class bucks on the landscape.
Harvest results, based on self-clearing permits, from last season show:
• Tunica Hills — 127 deer harvested in 2,852 hunter efforts
• Maurepas Swamp — 39 deer harvested in 931 hunter efforts
• Pearl River — 25 deer in 3,322 hunter efforts
Winslow said much of Maurepas Swamp WMA is difficult to access, which mean deer there don’t get the hunting pressure other deer do on smaller, more-accessible WMAs. While the swampy conditions might be less-than-ideal habitat, many deer have the opportunity to reach their potential, he said.
Tunica Hills WMA has fertile, productive habitat that supports quality deer. It is archery only except for a 17-day primitive firearms season after Thanksgiving.
On the other hand, Pearl River WMA is easily accessible to deer hunters due to the numerous roads and trails maintained on the area, which is close to New Orleans. Dense understory that formed after Hurricane Katrina is prevalent in many areas to provide good deer habitat; however, much of the understory is opening up in areas to provide increased hunters access away from the main trails.
Squirrels
Pearl River WMA led the way in reported squirrel harvests in 2012-13, Winslow said, with 1,498 bushy-tails in 2,485 hunter efforts.
Squirrels and squirrel hunters are obviously partial to Pearl River WMA, even though Hurricane Isaac was the second tropical system to bash the area in seven years.
“It’s a habitat with contiguous areas of bottomland hardwood habitat,” Winslow said. “Even though it was messed up pretty good by Hurricane Katrina, it still has extensive squirrel habitat.
“Each year as the understory opens up a little more, it allows hunters to get in more. I believe in the near future it’ll have increasing squirrels out there.”
Other 2012-13 squirrel harvest totals were:
• Maurepas Swamp — 500 squirrels in 931 efforts
• Tunica Hills — 259 squirrels in 322 efforts
Winslow described Maurepas WMA as a consistent producer of squirrels. There are more than 114,000 acres of cypress trees/tupelo gum trees, with limited suitable oak ridges and spoil areas. Find those areas, and you should be successful.
At Tunica Hills WMA, there is an abundance of mature oaks and other mast-producing trees that provide excellent squirrel habitat, which is why it regularly offers excellent squirrel hunting opportunities, Winslow said.
Rabbits
Maurepas Swamp WMA’s size — 114,000 acres — should lend itself to some fair to good rabbit hunting success based on results from 2012-13, when 156 rabbits were killed in 551 hunter efforts, according to self-clearing permit data from Winslow and his staff.
Winslow said while not all of that area is prime rabbit habitat, it has a fair amount of spoil banks and natural ridges to hunt.
As for Pearl River WMA, he said, the thick understory created after Hurricane Katrina is evident in numerous areas on the northern section, providing good rabbit habitat. Also, rabbits are plentiful in the marsh south of U.S. Highway 90.
At Sandy Hollow WMA, much of the area is kept in early succession habitat through planned burning. Additionally, there is plenty of edge habitat surrounding numerous fields and openings on the WMA.
Noteworthy
Small-game hunters also have an excellent opportunity to harvest feral hogs this season on Pearl River WMA, Winslow said.
Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Both the MAV South’s region manager and two biologist supervisors there are looking forward to fast-approaching hunting seasons on their WMAs. Ditto for those in the MAV North.
There’s certainly plenty of room on two of the largest public hunting areas in the MAV South — Richard K. Yancey WMA (formerly Red River/Three Rivers) and Dewey Wills (formerly Saline WMA).
Because of their vast sizes, higher numbers of game are usually harvested on those two WMAs.
“Some of our WMAs, naturally, have better hunting because they’re so big with good habitat, like Yancey and Dewey Wills,” MAV South Region Manager Tony Vidrine said the last week of July. “Hunters can spread out, and there’s more habitat to hunt.”
The same could be said for the sprawling Russell Sage WMA in the MAV North, which got even bigger recently when International Paper donated 5,000 acres in the Wham Brake area to bring the WMA’s total to about 23,000 acres. That transaction became official in April.
And the 10,000-acre Ouachita WMA should be growing by about another 3,000 acres due to a donation before the start of the 2013-14 hunting season.
Charles Booth, veteran biologist for the MAV North’s Monroe Region who reported on conditions at Russell Sage WMA, said every so often forestry workers thin out the timber there, which opens up the canopy and lets sunlight in.
Those areas are where some of the best hunting opportunities have been in the past, he said.
Booth said he was seeing plenty of deer and deer sign after a winter and spring of above-average rainfall.
“You can see all the deer you want to this time of year. Come hunting season, you won’t see a one,” Booth said with a chuckle.
As of the second week of July, he said it was getting dry.
“We could use some rain around here,” Booth said. “We had a fairly wet spring and temperatures weren’t bad. But it’s kind of dried up since then, although it’s settled down and looks like it’s going to be a normal summertime pattern (of rain).
“Weather conditions between now and the fall hunting seasons will help determine such items as the quality and quantity of hard mast crops, production and nutritional quality of deer browse plants, and impacting habitat conditions that could possibly affect the overall condition of animal species utilizing the areas.”
Lowrey Moak, the MAV North’s biologist supervisor for the Ferriday Region, said his WMAs have received adequate rain amounts and habitat conditions were good for mid-July.
Bouef WMA experienced short periods of flooding from the Bouef River, he said, and there was some extended flooding on Big Lake WMA. But both areas have recovered.
Also, Moak said, his region’s mast crop was good last year, and there was an abundance of woody and herbaceous browse plant species to provide plenty of good cover for all wildlife.
He also manages Buckhorn WMA, which boasted that aforementioned big buck on opening day of the primitive weapons season.
Vidrine and his biologist supervisors also all said habitat conditions were good this summer in the MAV South.
On Dewey Wills and Little River WMAs, there was ample rainfall that resulted in quality browse for white-tailed deer and allowed for lush forest openings to give wild turkey nesting/brood habitat, according to biologist supervisor Cliff Dailey.
He also said logging on the former and planned brush fires on the latter were implemented this year to improve habitat conditions for both game and nongame species.
MAV South biologist supervisor Johnathan Bordelon called habitat conditions “good to excellent” on his WMAs, although there was minor flooding on the low-lying portions of Grassy Lake, Richard K. Yancey and Attakapas WMAs.
“The absence of major flooding, and plentiful spring and summer rainfall has led to good habitat conditions that will benefit a wide range of wildlife species,” Bordelon said. “Deer habitat should be excellent, with good browse availability and cover, as a result of the early rainfall.”
Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Southern Region
Two changes should put smiles on the faces of deer hunters who frequent Sherburne and Thistlethwaite WMA: Vidrine said days taken away from the season following major flooding in the spring of 2011 have been restored at Sherburne WMA, and the LDWF did away with the shortened season on Thistlethwaite and moved it up some.
“Season dates (on Thistlethwaite WMA) have been modified in an effort to attain more older age-class bucks,” said Bordelon, biologist supervisor and 14-year veteran of the agency. “The current season would move the season out of the peak of the rut in an effort to reduce harvest pressure on the buck segment of the herd.”
Dailey, the other biologist supervisor in this region, said the 62,372-acre Dewey Wills WMA should account for the highest harvest of deer, rabbits and squirrels of the two areas he manages because of its sheer size, bottomland hardwoods, sloughs and cypress brakes that provide optimal habitat for those species.
“Nuttall, willow and water oak abound throughout the WMA, providing fall mast for squirrel and deer,” Dailey said. “Old and dying trees combined with timber harvesting have created canopy gaps making briar thickets beneficial for deer and rabbit.”
Deer
Vidrine, Bordelon and hundreds of deer hunters are high on Richard K. Yancey WMA as a public deer-hunting destination. For good reason, since last season there was a recorded harvest of more than 500 deer there — a feat Bordelon called an average harvest for the WMA.
Richard K. Yancey WMA was followed by Sherburne WMA, where more than 300 deer were killed. Bordelon said the 2001 flood set the deer herd back for a short period, but the population has recovered and higher harvest numbers are expected, particularly with the extra days restored to Sherburne WMA.
Also, more than 300 deer were reported killed last season on Dewey Wills WMA, Dailey said.
Thistlethwaite WMA was next with 186 deer reported killed, which, by the way, was the eighth and final year of antler restrictions there, Bordelon said.
The highest deer harvest per acre was at Thistlethwaite WMA, where one deer was killed per 59 acres, followed by Pomme de Terre WMA (one deer per 89 acres) and Grassy Lake WMA (one deer per 94 acres), according to Bordelon.
“Thistlethwaite’s always productive,” Vidrine said. “It’s got good, quality deer, too, because it’s got some real good habitat. The understory’s so thick.”
For trophies, Richard K. Yancey WMA is always one of the top producers of big bucks in the state, Bordelon said. It’s immenseness, prime habitat and remote terrain make it ripe for downing those deer that have eluded hunting pressure long enough to reach maturity.
“It is not uncommon to see 150-pound does harvested on this WMA, with older age-class bucks weighing 200 to 250 pounds,” Bordelon said. “The season framework on R.K. Yancey WMA allows for plenty of opportunities for hunters to pursue bucks and does when they are most active.”
The WMAs in Avoyelles Parish — Spring Bayou, Pomme de Terre and Grassy Lake — also offer hunters opportunities to shoot quality bucks, he said. These tracts are surrounded by private hunting clubs that practice quality deer management, he said, which in turn carries over into the adjacent WMAs.
Older bucks on the Avoyelles Parish WMAs average more than 200 pounds.
“Last year a couple nice deer were killed on Spring Bayou and Pomme de Terre,” Vidrine said.
Shortened seasons the past two years in a management response to the flood had an effect on the harvest of big bucks on Sherburne WMA, Bordelon said.
“The result was the protection of some of the younger bucks, allowing them to move up in age class,” Vidrine said. “Some of that carryover should show up in the form of more older bucks this season.
“Sherburne WMA has produced some good, quality bucks over the last several years, and we should continue to see good bucks harvested on this area due to the very fertile soils that provide for excellent habitat.”
Dewey Wills WMA also offers good opportunities to zero in on a trophy-sized buck, Dailey said, because of quality deer browse and large expanses of agriculture on the property’s eastern boundary that provide supplemental nutrients to the area’s deer herd.
Squirrels
People who scout their squirrel-hunting destinations will be more successful than others more often than not, according to biologists in the MAV South. That especially holds true for the region’s biggest and highest-producing WMA — Richard K. Yancey WMA. The area gave up 4,994 squirrels on 4,808 hunter efforts in 2012-13, a little more than one squirrel per hunter effort, Bordelon said.
Sherburne WMA was next this past season with 3,714 squirrels harvested by 2,544 hunter efforts, which would be 1.5 squirrels per hunter effort, he said.
Those two MAV South WMAs were followed in the squirrel harvest by Dewey Wills WMA, which had 3,183 squirrels harvested in 2012-13, according to Dailey.
Other top WMAs in the region were Thistlethwaite WMA with 825 squirrels on 802 hunter efforts and Little River WMA with 408 squirrels bagged, Dailey said.
Logging projects on Thistlethwaite WMA made squirrel hunting a little more difficult, Bordelon said, but the area’s squirrel population remains above average.
Bordelon also said there was a bumper mast crop in his region in 2011, which “helped the squirrel population for last year, and last year we had a good mast crop again, which should help again this year.”
So he was expecting pretty good hunting.
“I anticipate this season to at least be where it was last year, maybe some down and some up,” Bordelon said.
Rabbits
The effects of Hurricane Gustav in 2008 are still being experienced on Sherburne WMA, predominantly in the rabbit population. Bordelon said he and others are seeing them wherever and whenever he goes there.
Forest management practices also are contributing to the colossal comeback by rabbits, he said.
“There are so many rabbits on Sherburne. It seems like a ton of rabbits,” he said, noting that, although there rabbits died in the flood two years ago, enough survived to trigger the resurgence.
But Sherburne WMA didn’t account for the most rabbits killed in 2012-13 among his WMAs, he said. Spring Bayou WMA led the way with 201 rabbits harvested by 135 hunter efforts, a harvest rate of 1.5 per hunter effort, followed by Pomme de Terre WMA with 62 rabbits harvested during 88 hunting efforts for a harvest rate of 0.7 per hunter effort.
Dailey said Dewey Wills WMA was the leader for rabbit harvest this past season between his two WMAs with 80. Little River WMA had 13 bunnies taken.
Bordelon said to keep in mind that harvests were reported in self-clearing permits required to be filled out by hunters who go to the WMAs. Remember, too, he said, that some rabbits are taken incidentally while hunting for other small game species, such as squirrels. Often, when self-clearing permits are filled out, some hunters might check both rabbit hunting and squirrel hunting during the same period.
Noteworthy
There were more than 700 hogs killed last season on Richard K. Yancey WMA, where the feral hog population remains extremely high, according to Bordelon.
Hog numbers also were up on Sherburne WMA, despite the flood two springs ago, he said.
Vidrine said he and his staff want to develop a hog-trapping time on several of the region’s WMAs. It would be held after the major hunting seaons, he said.
While turkey hunting success is more consistent in the Florida Parishes, pine country and rolling hills on other public hunting lands around the Sportsman’s Paradise, this region’s best bet for a turkey is Richard K. Yancey WMA, followed by Sherburne WMA and Grassy Lake WMA, according to Bordelon.
Nesting and brood habitat is better on the two WMAs in Dailey’s region, he said about Dewey Wills WMA and Little River WMA.
Mississippi Alluvial Valley
North — Monroe Region
Russell Sage WMA, Ouachita WMA, Bayou Macon WMA
An outstanding duck hunting area for many years just got better with the addition of 5,000 acres donated by International Paper Co. to the Russell Sage WMA.
A Bastrop paper mill that shut down two years ago used to send all of its water discharges to the area, and now Wham Brake has more public hunting available to waterfowlers.
The addition brought the WMA’s acreage to about 23,000, Charles Booth said.
Booth also was pleased to report that a pending donation of 3,000 acres will enlarge the Ouachita WMA to about 13,000 acres before hunting begins this fall.
The veteran biologist brought people up to date on the Big Colewa WMA in West Carroll Parish, which is composed of six non-contiguous tracts of former FHA property donated several years ago to the LDWF. The tracts range in size from 30 to more than 500 acres, he said.
“Currently, self-clearing permits are not used to monitor these tracts; therefore no data is available,” Booth said. “Placing a self-clearing permit station on the largest tract of this area has been discussed. However, no decision has been made at this time.”
Booth and other state officials have been proud of the youth-hunting opportunities afforded on the Floy McElroy WMA in Richland Parish. The approximately 681-acre area was donated to the state around 1990 by the late Floy W. McElroy with a personal request that the property be used for youth hunting and youth education.
Due to its limited size and purpose, access is limited, Booth said. Currently, youth dove hunts, youth deer hunts and youth squirrel hunts are held.
Dove hunts are held the second weekend of the first split, he said. Those interested in participating in the youth dove hunt can access the property off Louisiana Highway 137/U.S. Highway 425 two miles north of Rayville.
Youth deer hunting is restricted to those selected in a pre-application lottery. Four weekends are available for youth deer hunting, and they can choose from one of the four weekends listed on the lottery form.
Applications, which must be turned in early this month, can be found at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/lottery-hunts.
Floy W. McElroy WMA youth deer hunts have been very successful, Booth said. In 2011, the deer harvest total for four weekend hunts was 19 deer (11 bucks and eight does) in 53 youth hunter efforts.
Based on habitat conditions, hunting success should be fair to good at most or all major WMAs in the Monroe Region — Russell Sage WMA, Ouachita WMA and Bayou Macon WMA.
Deer
Without a doubt, Booth said, all three WMAs have good deer populations that have benefitted from deer browse made more nutritious and palatable by ample rainfall this past spring and early summer.
The big three are led by Russell Sage WMA, for obvious reasons.
“Bayou Macon and Ouachita each have fairly large reforested areas with dense understories that provide excellent deer habitat, and Russell Sage has a large amount of bottomland hardwood acreage,” Booth explained. “Russell Sage will have the most deer hunters and, consequently, (give up) the most deer during the entire WMA deer season.
“Russell Sage has an archery, firearm either-sex deer, firearm buck-only deer, firearm quality buck-only deer and primitive weapon deer season.”
He pointed out that Ouachita WMA and Bayou Macon WMA have all of those segments to the season, with the exception that Bayou Macon does not have a firearm bucks-only deer season and Ouachita WMA does not have a primitive weapon deer season.
Preseason scouting is key to any degree of success, he said. You can bet it played a role in the harvest last season when nice deer were shot during the three-day post-Thanksgiving either-sex deer hunt on Russell Sage WMA and Ouachita WMA.
Booth said personnel working deer check stations weighed two deer killed on Russell Sage WMA that exceeded 200 pounds live weight (203 and 205 pounds, respectively), and both were 10-pointers.
Ouachita also recorded two deer at 200 pounds or heavier — one an 8-point buck at 211 pounds live weight and the other a 12-pointer at 200 pounds.
Bayou Macon deer hunters were unable to harvest any exceptional bucks, but did pick up one 7-point, three 8-points and one 11-point during the late-December buck hunt.
And hunter success rates were good for the three-day post-Thanksgiving either-sex gun hunts on all three WMAs — one deer per eight hunter efforts.
Bayou Macon WMA’s and Ouachita WMA’s success ratio was 1:7, while Russell Sage WMA hunters experienced a success ration of 1:7.7.
Where can the biggest public-land deer in this region be killed this season? Take a look at last season’s numbers.
Booth first noting that all three areas have good deer herds and are capable of producing nice deer. While they all have bottomland hardwoods, Ouachita and Bayou Macon WMAs also feature areas of native hardwood reforestation. Those reforested areas still have a fairly dense understory and provide excellent deer habitat.
Data collected by LDWF personnel during the post-Thanksgiving weekend showed that 35.7 percent of the antlered buck kill on Ouachita WMA were adult bucks with an average live weight of 166.4 pounds and an average of eight antler points.
In comparison, Russell Sage WMA’s adult deer made up 30.2 percent of the antlered buck kill during that period, and the average live weight was 168.2 pounds with an average number of antler points at 7.4.
Some of the best hunting on Bayou Macon is enjoyed below Shrock Road. That area has been reforested agricultural land, which gives deer hunters the option of hunting thick cover south of the road or mature bottomlands north of the road.
Squirrels
Squirrel harvest totals are about even for Russell Sage WMA, Ouachita WMA and Macon WMA. After all, their respective makeups are similar, with mostly bottomland hardwoods.
Ouachita WMA has approximately 3,200 acres, Bayou Macon WMA encompasses just under 6,000 acres and Russell Sage is made up of more than 15,000 acres. The latter also has the most acreage of quality squirrel habitat, which means more squirrel hunters are attracted to it and, as a result, the total squirrel harvest is higher.
Nevertheless, both Ouachita WMA and Bayou Macon WMA recently had higher success rates per hunt than Russell Sage, based on self-clearing permits.
Ouachita WMA had the best squirrels-per-hunter ratio of the three, with 199 hunters taking 240 squirrels — or 1.2 squirrels per hunter effort. Bayou Macon’s squirrel hunters averaged 1 squirrel per hunter effort, with 334 squirrel hunts resulting in 350 squirrels. And Russell Sage WMA’s squirrel hunters averaged 0.5 squirrels per hunter effort, with 975 hunters taking 450 squirrels.
Rabbits
October, November and December rabbit hunting traditionally is nonexistent on Ouachita WMA, the top rabbit-producing WMA in the MAV North’s Monroe Region.
“No rabbit hunters at all,” Booth said. “(But) once the beagle season opens in January, we had, like, 200 hunters.
“If you rabbit hunt around here, Ouachita is the best bet.”
For example, Ouachita WMA’s rabbit hunters bagged 175 rabbits in 266 rabbit hunter efforts ,with all but three of them taken during January and February.
Russell Sage WMA and Bayou Macon were a distant second and third, respectively, with Russell Sage WMA having 45 rabbit hunters taking 19 rabbits and Bayou Macon’s 20 hunters taking three rabbits.
Booth noted that most of the successful rabbit hunting on Ouachita WMA in recent years has been on the Anderson Farm tract, which was purchased by the department in the late 1970s.
But that could change.
“The (Anderson Farm) tract was reforested with native tree species some 25 years ago, and over the years has had a relatively thick understory that has been ideal rabbit habitat,” Booth said. “These trees are now getting to an age where they are beginning to shade out the understory component and, as a result, rabbit hunting could decrease in the future as this shading effort continues to affect the density of the understory component.”
Many rabbits were being seen at the time of his report on Bayou Macon south of Shrock Road. Although smaller in size than the Ouachita WMA’s Anderson Farm tract, the planted trees are younger and the understory remains thicker on Bayou Macon than that at Ouachita WMA.
MAV North
Ferriday Region
Extremely dense understory habitat contributed to one of the deer hunting highlights of the 2012-13 season in the MAV North’s Ferriday Region. Heck, in the entire state and region.
That’s because it’s where Eric Davis of Winnsboro dropped a massive 13-point, 210-pound buck near openings in thick palmetto on Dec. 29 while hunting Buckhorn WMA. The deer scored 175 inches Boone & Crockett.
It was the top muzzleloader buck in the prestigious Simmons’ Sporting Goods store contest.
“I sat and watched the thick palmetto and the small openings within it until 9 that morning without seeing the first deer,” Davis told Louisiana Sportsman on Jan. 10. “Then I saw a doe and a spike making their way through the thick stuff. Ten minutes later, two more does came through.”
While he watched the does, movement in the palmettos caught his eye.
“The first thing I saw was a glimpse of a buck’s rack as it stepped through a small opening, but then all was quiet,” Davis said. “I didn’t see or hear anything for a while. Frankly, I was getting nervous because the glimpse I had let me know this was a good buck, but I was beginning to wonder what happened to him.”
Then the buck stepped into a tiny opening. Davis shouldered his .45-70 rifle, aimed at a shoulder and pulled the trigger.
The buck dropped on the spot.
Could that happen again in the MAV North’s Ferriday Region? Why not? It’s ripe.
Lowrey Moak, biologist supervisor for the region, said there has been “adequate” rainfall, resulting in good habitat conditions for the upcoming season.
Deer
While the highest-profile deer of last season in the MAV North’s Ferriday Region came off Buckhorn WMA, the most deer were picked off on Bouef WMA, where 367 total deer (archery, firearms and primitive weapons) in 3,623 hunter efforts were harvested.
Meanwhile, Big Lake WMA had 273 deer in 2,353 hunter efforts, and Buckhorn WMA had 222 deer in 2,578 hunter efforts.
Boeuf WMA’s deer harvest should be equal to or more than the past season, based on any flooding from the Boeuf River (it experienced several short flooding periods), according to Moak. The veteran biologist also expected deer harvest numbers and quality to increase on Big Lake and Buckhorn as a result of recent timber harvest activities in both areas.
In addition, he said, Buckhorn WMA will continue to offer several weekends of youth lottery and physically challenged hunts.
Each of his management areas consistently gives up quality and trophy-sized animals, Moak said, adding that Big Lake WMA offers the best chances at harvesting a trophy deer in the region.
Big Lake WMA and nearby Tensas National Wildlife Refuge consist of a 100,000-acre block of contiguous bottomland hardwood forest containing all the essentials to produce quality deer, he said.
“Recent forest management activities in place and ongoing on these areas, as well as (at) Buckhorn WMA, have greatly improved deer habitat, which will only increase the chance of harvesting trophy deer,” Moak said.
Squirrels
As all hunters probably know, squirrel populations depend on the previous year’s mast crop, and last year’s mast crop was fair to good on most public hunting lands in the MAV North’s Ferriday Region.
That’s the word from Moak, who has kept close tabs on the situation. He predicted Big Lake and Boeuf WMAs will be neck-and-neck in squirrel harvest. Both areas have contiguous stands of older-growth bottomland hardwood timber, and are very popular among local and visiting squirrel hunters.
Big Lake WMA’s squirrel harvest came in at 2,938 squirrels in 1,372 hunter efforts in 2012-13, followed by Boeuf WMA with 1,920 squirrels harvested in 1,681 hunter efforts and Buckhorn WMA with 386 squirrels in the bag on 261 hunter efforts.
He said the squirrel harvest will be higher on Boeuf WMA this season if the Boeuf River stays within its banks, but he added that Big Lake WMA offers some of the best late-season dog hunting in the area.
Both Buckhorn WMA and Sicily Island Hills WMA have good squirrel populations, but hunting conditions are tougher due to dense palmettoes at Buckhorn WMA and the steep, rugged terrain at Sicily Island Hills WMAs.
Rabbits
For rabbit hunters, the place to go this season ought to be Boeuf WMA, which Moak said is the most-popular area in the region due to its large size, ease of hunting and abundance of rabbit habitat that perennially produces a high rabbit population.
Such was the case this past season when rabbit hunters bagged 194 rabbits on 137 hunter efforts.
Big Lake WMA’s harvest wasn’t even in the same ballpark: 10 rabbits in 13 hunter efforts.
Moak said recent timber harvest operations on Big Lake and Buckhorn WMA have improved rabbit habitat for both areas, and that should mean rabbit numbers should increase on both areas.
Coastal and Nongame Resources Division
Recovery is the key word in discussions about two WMAs in the Coastal and Nongame Resources Division headed by veteran biologist Todd Baker.
Baker said low water last year in the Mississippi River, combined with the impacts felt by Hurricane Isaac, were particularly detrimental to Pass-a-Loutre and Pointe-aux-Chenes WMAs, where high salinity along with the high storm surge from Hurricane Isaac, had a prolonged negative impact. The combination removed much of the submerged aquatic vegetation and accelerated marsh loss across the WMAs.
However, those tracts are experiencing low salinity levels and some of the losses are recovering well, he said.
Jimmy Anthony, the assistant secretary of LDWF’s Wildlife Division, agreed.
“I think they’re pretty much recovered from what (the damage),” he said. “It had a toll on the deer population there, and we’ve made adjustments as far as either-sex hunting (i.e., shorter season).
“All in all, the deer will bounce back because they’re pretty resilient. We’ll monitor them and look at it each year.”
Coastal WMAs as of mid-summer were in good shape going into the fall because there have been no major storms (knock on wood), he said.
Anthony also expects waterfowl hunting to be fair to good, mostly the latter, because of conditions on most of the region’s WMAs. Considering the fall flight that is expected in the Mississippi Flyway, duck hunting prospects are favorable.
“Things are looking real good for waterfowl on our coastal WMAs,” Anthony said. “If we get the weather to push them down here, we’ll show them some Southern hospitality.”
Overall, he said, things were in good shape with the hunting seasons fast approaching.
“We’re ready for all the activity from the hunters and the wildlife on our coastal WMAs,” Anthony said.
Baker was pleased to report that his agency worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create a new island on the Atchafalaya Delta WMA in St. Mary Parish.
Bennett Island on the east side of the main delta is approximately 1.3 miles long and will vegetate naturally over the next 12 months to create excellent new habitat that will benefit a wide variety of wildlife, including deer and rabbits.
Deer
The early birds won’t be the only ones hunting deer this season on the Salvador WMA: Once only open for morning deer hunts, state DW&F officials are allowing afternoon hunting on Salvador WMA.
“People lobbied for it,” Anthony said. “Hopefully, we’ll get some people to go out there in the afternoon and have some success.”
Otherwise, he said, there is some fair to good but challenging deer hunting available on public hunting areas in this region that includes Atchafalaya Delta WMA (which is difficult to access), Pass-a-Loutre WMA and, even Salvador WMA.
“Well, I think our (deer) population has been coming up pretty good on most of our coastal WMAs,” Anthony said. “There’s plenty of deer out there for everybody.
“It depends on if the hunters want to get after them.”
Baker said the Atchafalaya Delta, Salvador and Timken, and Pass-a-Loutre areas ought to yield the most deer — in that order.
“With good spring rain, low salinity and the addition of Bennett Island, the deer hunting outlook for Atchafalaya Delta this year and the next few years should continue to be excellent,” Baker said. “Year after year, this WMA yields large numbers of deer, including some very impressive bucks, to hunters who pursue them.
“The WMA produces the best marsh deer hunting found anywhere along the Louisiana coast. A healthy herd size and the addition of quality habitat year after year is the key to this WMAs quality deer and hunting success.
“On Salvador WMA, deer hunters will enjoy the addition of an afternoon hunting season. It is expected that hunter participation and success will grow in response.
“Pass-a-Loutre WMA continues to lead all coastal WMAs in successful hunts, with hunters enjoying a deer harvest every 5.6 hunts. Hunting efforts continue to be low on this WMA, but success is very high — nearly double that of the closest coastal WMA, which is Salvador at one deer per 10.9 hunting efforts.”
Baker reported the 2012-13 harvests from the leading WMAs:
• Atchafalaya Delta WMA — 2,980 hunter efforts yielding 157 deer (83 bucks and 74 does). That’s one deer per 19 attempts. The largest buck was a 175-pound 11-point (17.5 inches wide).
• Salvador & Timken WMAs — 120 hunter efforts yielding 11 deer (nine bucks and two does) for one deer harvested per 10.9 attempts. The largest buck was a 160-pound 8-pointer.
• Pass-a-Loutre WMA — 67 hunter efforts yielding 12 deer (10 bucks and two does) for one deer harvested per 5.6 attempts. The largest buck was a 160-pound, 8-point.
• Point-aux-Chenes WMA —13 efforts without a successful harvest.
• Lake Boeuf WMA — Forty-four attempts without a successful harvest.
Deer hunters hoping to get a good-sized deer in their sights should head to the Atchafalaya Delta WMA, Baker said.
“With excellent spring and summer habitat conditions, and the continued increasing abundance of quality habitat, Atchafalaya Delta should once again produce the most and best quality deer along the coast,” he said. “The delta has produced several quality Boone and Crockett bucks over recent years, and there is no evidence that this trend will change over the next few years.”
Squirrels
Some of the best squirrel hunting is on the Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA, where squirrel hunters average a reported two squirrels per hunting effort, according to Baker. So it’s the place to go, as habitat conditions improve each year as the mitigation plantings mature.
“Squirrel hunting is on the rise at Pointe-aux-Chenes,” he said, noting plentiful spring rains should result in a good white oak crop this year for those trees mature enough to produce mast.
But the word has been slow getting out, probably intentionally for those enjoying and reaping the tasty small game benefits.
“Oh, yeah, Pointe-aux-Chenes: We planted trees, and they have come to fruition,” Anthony said. “It’s probably a well-kept secret.
“People know about it and don’t talk about it.”
Rabbits
Want rabbits? Go to the Atchafalaya Delta WMA, where rabbit hunters surveyed last year averaged almost five rabbits per hunting effort. That success far exceeded harvests on other coastal WMAs, Baker said.
“With habitat availability improving significantly (and) with the addition of Bennett Island, success this coming season should continue to be very good,” he said.
Baker said Pass-au-Loutre WMA hunting is expected to be very good this year, too, noting fewer rabbit hunters hunt the area but are generally very successful. Dense vegetation there provides excellent rabbit habitat.
He noted rabbit hunters rarely use dogs, often simply walking and stomping rabbits out to average nearly two rabbits per hunting effort.
Salvador WMA dethroned Pointe-aux-Chenes WMA in the third position last season due to prolonged high salinity and Hurricane Isaac’s impact last fall. Salvador WMA’s habitat conditions are very good and hunter success should reflect that.
