New 3,000-acre waterfowl impoundment on Dewey W. Wills WMA ready for East Zone opener

Hunters advised Camp Bayou Road off of Highway 28 will be ATV/UTV only, LDWF says

A brand new 3,000-acre waterfowl impoundment north of the Catahoula Lake Diversion Canal on the Dewey W. Wills WMA has been completed and is ready to go for the opening day of the East Zone duck season on Saturday, Nov. 21.

“It’s a newly created system. We built some levees up to hold the water, and we’ve got a new control structure in a canal that is backing up more acreage of this watershed,” said Cliff Dailey, biologist supervisor on the WMA. “This is the first season it’s been operable, so it’s providing more habitat than we’ve ever had in that area.

“And it’s not just limited to waterfowl hunting: People that want to squirrel hunt and people that want to deer hunt are still able to in this new impoundment on the north end.”

One access issue hunters will encounter on the north end of the WMA is Camp Bayou Road, which runs into the interior of the new impoundment, but has flooded.

“That’s the road we have gated, and it’s going to be ATV- and UTV-only through the hunting season until we drain the impoundment,” Dailey said. “It’s an improved road, but the flood water has taken that road.”

Other access points are still easy to get to, including on the southwest corner, the southeast corner and the northern edge of the impoundment near the Self Clearing permit stations.

“There’s a lot of areas where you can just park on the side of the road and walk in,” Dailey said.

To see a map of the new impoundment, click here. To view a map of the entire WMA, click here.

In addition, Dailey pointed out the 400-acre southern waterfowl impoundment on Dewey Wills,  known locally as the Greentree Reservoir, remains open to waterfowl hunters despite a water control structure issue.

“Our structure malfunctioned and we haven’t been able to pump any water in it,” he said. “But there’s still a little bit of residual water from the rains, and people can still go in there to hunt if they wish.”

Dewey W. Wills WMA is located in the southern portion of LaSalle and Catahoula parishes in central Louisiana approximately 20 miles northeast of Alexandria. For more information, contact Dailey at 318-487-5885 or via email here.

About Patrick Bonin 1315 Articles
Patrick Bonin is the former editor of Louisiana Sportsman magazine and LouisianaSportsman.com.