Now that the entire state has opened to rifle hunting, how has Louisiana’s new deer-tagging system been working?
Scott Durham, deer study leader for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, couldn’t be happier.
“We’re not sure everybody’s doing it, but we feel like most people are complying,” he said.
As of Nov. 17, the department had received reports on 38,000 deer that had been killed statewide. Of those, roughly 23,000, or 60 percent, were bucks.
“That (percentage) is about what we expected,” he said. “Our mail survey would always end up about 55:45 bucks to does.”
Durham said there has been some confusion over which tags to use, particularly among people who kill button bucks.
“They might fill out an antlered-deer tag because it’s a buck (when an antlerless tag should be used),” he said.
Using the new system, when a hunter purchases his licenses, he’s issued a report card as well as six tags. After harvesting an animal, but before moving it, he is to fill out one of his tags, and attach it to his deer. A piece of string or a cable tie is necessary to attach the tag.
Within 72 hours of the harvest, the hunter is to call 866-484-4805 or log onto www.wildlifelicense.com/la to report the kill. He’s asked just a couple of questions, and then is given a confirmation number that he is to write on the harvest card that is attached to his license.
Biologists will use the information to track harvest trends throughout the state. So far, Union Parish is leading the pack with the highest number of deer reported.
