Nomination deadline extended for Youth Hunter of the Year

Louisiana Wildlife Federation and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries team up to present the awards for the first time since 2019

Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) have extended the nomination deadline for Youth Hunter of the Year from Friday, Feb. 2 to Wednesday, Feb. 7, to give young hunters more time to tell us about their exciting and memorable experiences hunting in 2023.

The Youth Hunter of the Year award is specifically designed to give young hunters from Louisiana, 15 years old and younger at the time of the hunt, the opportunity to express their excitement, passion, and love of hunting regardless of the outcome of their hunt.

LWF and LDWF are teaming up to honor one boy and one girl Youth Hunter of the Year for 2023. The hunt does not have to take place in Louisiana, but it must have happened within the 2023 calendar year (January 1 – December 31, 2023), and you must have been a resident of Louisiana during 2023.

To enter the 2023 Youth Hunter of the Year contest:

  • Complete and submit the nomination form found at lawildlifefed.org
  • Submit a short story written by the nominee describing the hunt
  • Submit a photo(s) of the hunt

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Hunter must be a Louisiana resident
  • Hunter must be 15 years old or younger at the time of the hunt
  • The hunt must take place between January and December 2023
  • Short story should be written by the youth
  • The hunt does not have to result in the harvesting of an animal
  • One entry per youth hunter
  • Previous winners are not eligible

Our two winners will receive a plaque in recognition of their achievement and a $100 gift card from Bowie Outfitters. The winners will also be recognized at LWF’s Annual Conservation Achievement Awards banquet in April. Everyone who enters will be included in a drawing for a $100 Bowie Outfitters gift card.

Special thanks to our Contest sponsors: the Baton Rouge Chapter of Delta Waterfowl, Andrew J. Harrison, Jr. with Harrison Law, LLC, and Bowie Outfitters – Baton Rouge.

Visit lawildlifefed.org/youth-hunter to learn more and enter. Deadline to Nominate a Youth Hunter is now WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2024.

Past  Winners

  • 2015 – Earl Darby, Kamryn Paige Hatton
  • 2016 – Seth Gottardi, Kindal Tonn
  • 2017 – Cameron Dauzat, Lydia Capritto
  • 2018 – Even Alderson, Kynlee Buras
  • 2019 – Douglas Fry, Hagen Reitzell