Move will provide for youth waterfowl hunting this fall in portion of Orleans Parish
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission recently approved the repeal of a ban on all hunting in a portion of Orleans Parish that was originally enacted in 1991 during the establishment of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge.
The move will provide for youth waterfowl hunting opportunities on the NWR, as well as continued feral hog control by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce habitat damage on the refuge.
The Commission’s action effects that portion of Orleans Parish east of the Jefferson-Orleans Parish line, northward to the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain, northeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to South Point, east-southeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to Chef Pass, the southern shoreline of Chef Pass eastward to the western shoreline of the Intra-Coastal Waterway, the western shoreline of the Intra-Coastal Waterway southward to the Industrial Canal, the Industrial Canal south to the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi River to the Orleans-Jefferson Parish line.
The action will become effective Sept. 1.
In a separate press release sent on Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that portions of the NWR will be opened to youth waterfowl hunting from sunrise to 12 noon on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday during the state’s waterfowl hunting season, including the early teal season that opens Sept. 14 and runs through Sept. 29.
The areas open to youth hunting are the portions of the refuge that lie outside of the Hurricane Protection Levee System, the service release stated.
A free permit is required to hunt on the refuge, and can be obtained by visiting 61389 Hwy. 434, Lacombe, La. 70445 or clicking here.
With the exception of youth waterfowl hunting, the refuge is not open to feral pig hunting or any other form of hunting.
However, the refuge is open to recreational fin and shell fishing, as well as, wildlife observation, photography, recreational boating and a variety of other authorized recreational activities. Additional hunting opportunities are also available on the nearby Big Branch Marsh and Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuges located in St. Tammany Parish, the release states.
Anyone seeking further information on the refuge or clarification of refuge hunting opportunities can contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office at 985-882-2000.
