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The rut is where it’s at
The combination of January’s cold weather and lack of native forages will have the deer active and eating in the green patches and at feeders. […]
Grunts & Gobbles
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Tagging should allow reg changes as needed
David Moreland believes if we are going to stay ahead of the game, some of Louisiana’s archaic deer laws need to be changed. […]
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Hunt the cold fronts, boys
It is a well-known fact among Bayou State deer hunters that when a cold front sweeps across the state, it’s time to be in a deer stand. […]
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The art of reading sign
Reading sign is as old as hunting. Sign is simply the evidence that game animals and birds leave on the landscape that shows they’ve been around. […]
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The late season is here: It’s time to make a memory
January marks the end of the 2018-1919 deer season, and in Areas 1 and 6 the rut is at its peak. It is the time for real wall-hangers to be chasing does, and the best time for a hunter to connect with one. […]
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Shoot – Don’t shoot: Decision time is now for deer hunters
Deer season is in full swing, and it’s time to decide whether to drop the hammer. […]
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Don’t ‘kick’ the bucket
A good 5-gallon bucket has multiple uses as hunting season cranks up this fall. […]
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A new deer season is here — what will it bring?
Except for the issue with chronic wasting disease in Northeast Louisiana, the 2017 season was so-so. Hopefully 2018 will be a little more exciting. But what exactly will does this new season have in store for hunters in the Bayou State? […]
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How to age white-tailed deer: Part V
The older age classes, 7 ½ on up, represent the end of the trail for a deer population. The average lifespan for a white-tailed deer is around 5 years; in captivity deer may live up to 14 years. Much depends on the degree of hunting that takes place on the landscape. […]
Deer Hunting
How to age white-tailed deer: Part IV
Learn how to age the bucks that most hunters mount, the 4- to 6-year-old deer that are exhibiting their best antler growth. […]
Deer Hunting
How to age white-tailed deer: Part III
Last month I wrote about the 1 ½-year-old age class, or yearling deer. The key that separates the yearling age class from the 2-year-old age class is the third premolar. Yearling deer have three temporary premolars that begin to break up and are shed when the deer is 17 to 18 months old. […]
Deer Hunting
How to age white-tailed deer: Part II
The key to aging yearling deer — deer that are 1 year old— is the third premolar. The third premolar is a temporary tooth that has three cusps (or crests.) Both fawns and yearling deer have this temporary three-cusped premolar. […]
Deer Hunting
How to age white-tailed deer: Part I
Deer can be placed into specific categories, such as fawns, yearlings, young adults (2- to 3-year-olds), mature adults (4- to 6-year-olds) and old adults (7-year plus). Here’s how to age fawns. […]
Grunts & Gobbles
It’s (finally) time to talk turkey
The delay of the 2018 turkey season until April 7 has no doubt been an agonizing wait for members of the Tenth Legion, but now this elite group of hunters are in action. […]
Grunts & Gobbles
No turkey hunting in March
Yes, that’s right — for the first time in the lifetime of this author there is no turkey hunting in Louisiana in March. Of course, I grew up hunting in North Louisiana in the 60s and there were no turkeys to hunt in those days. LDWF was trying to restock birds in that area but for various reasons, the restocking effort was not working. […]
Deer Hunting
The season may be over — but memories remain
For the most part, the 2017 deer season is over, although some DMAP cooperators in the Tier 1 classification can still hunt a couple of weeks in February. For Area 1 and 6 hunters, this could still give you time to connect with a deer, and perhaps even that elusive trophy. […]