Proposed changes for the 2025-26 hunting seasons

Wildlife and Fisheries Commission members discuss hunting regulations at January meeting

In most years the proposed hunting seasons dates and regulations on resident game and migratory birds/waterfowl come with calendar changes.

Not this time, not for the 2025-2026 seasons.

For waterfowl hunters, the biggest change comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The special September teal season will run 9 days, not the 16 days of recent years.

Jeff Duguay, who offered the dates for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), said the change was mandated by the most recent three-year population survey of blue-winged and green-winged teal. The annual May survey showed overall teal numbers “…had fallen below the threshold for a 16-day season,” Duguay said.

So, the 2025 special teal season will run Sept. 20-28.

And, when the “big duck” season dates were offered to mimic those of the 2024-2025 season, Commission member Kevin Sagrera added fuel to the always passionate debate over duck seasons by moving the West Zone to a two-split opportunity — down from the current season’s three splits — and to a much earlier closing date than had been hashed out for 2024-2025.

Sagrera’s then-approved amendment offered Nov. 8-30 and Dec. 13-Jan. 18 splits — West Zone hunters went to Jan. 31 this year — and kept the respective two-day before and after the season weekends for youth-only and honorably discharged veterans-only dates of Nov. 1-2 and Jan 24-25.

The commission also extended the same special youth-only and veterans-only seasons to the East Zone for 2025-2026 — Nov. 8-9 and Jan. 30-31.

And, when these changes are made from the original proposals, changes must be made to the first-offered dates for goose and conservation order for geese seasons.

The only other major change to the duck season came in a proposed 2 p.m. close to hunting on the Biloxi Marsh WMA.

Dove and deer changes

There was some discussion about opening the dove season on Labor Day, this year falling on Sept. 1. Federal regulations allow Louisiana to open the dove season Sept. 1, but the custom has been to open on September’s first full weekend which will be Sept. 6.

Duguay said the most recent hunter survey indicated a preference for the first full weekend, but that a new survey is in the works and he would report the findings before the March meeting.

The next amendment was from Commission member Andy Brister, who offered to allow 65-and-older hunters to use any firearm during a primitive firearms season. The move mimics a similar allowance for 17-and-younger hunters.

Otherwise, the major proposed changes in resident game came in new season limits in Deer Areas 4 and 10 — 4 per season (2 antlered, 2 antlerless) in Area 4, and 3 (2 bucks, 1 doe) in Area 10.

Another change comes in 2026 for the turkey season with an opening day on Good Friday, with Area A running 31 days, Area B running 24 days and Area C at 17 days.

Other changes will ban the use of trail cameras on wildlife management areas; extending small-game hunting opportunity on several WMAs to avoid conflicts with deer hunting; adding a physically challenged hunter time on the Sandy Hollow WMA; removing physically challenged hunts from at least two WMAs for lack of use; and, prohibiting the use of “magnet fishing” on the Fort Johnson WMA.

Black bear season success

January’s Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting also included LDWF secretary Madison Sheahan reporting the results of December’s first black bear lottery hunt, which resulted in filling all 10 special tags and a special tag offered to a Purple Heart-awarded veteran, Deron Santiny, who took the largest bear (696 pounds) of the special season.

Sheahan said the department anticipates another, and possibly expanded, lottery hunt this year.

She also handed out five Employee of the Year awards.

The meeting concluded with the election of a chairman and vice-chairmen. Sagrera, from Abbeville, will take the chairman’s seat, and Brister, from Lake Providence, takes the vice-chair post.

For hunters, the remainder of a 60-day public comment period is open for the proposed, now amended, 2025-2026 hunting seasons. The full notice will be posted on the department’s website: wlf.la.gov.

Address comments to: Jeff Duguay, LDWF Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898, or by email: jduguay@wlf.la.gov. The deadline is 4 p.m., March 6.