LDWF proposes dates for hunting seasons
Published 6:59 pm Sunday, February 25, 2018
<p class="p1">The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has released its proposed hunting seasons for 2018-19 and is presently convening public meetings throughout the state to obtain public comment.</p><p class="p1">The Lake Charles-area meeting was last Friday at the LSU Ag Center building off Gulf Highway.</p><p class="p1">The other meetings are all scheduled for the coming week: Monday at the Ponchatoula High School library; Tuesday at the Alexandria Convention Hall, Wednesday at the USGVS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Lafayette and Thursday at the LDWF office in Monroe.</p><p class="p1">All meetings begin at 6 p.m.</p><p class="p1">In the past, most of the interest from the public locally has been in regards to the duck hunting season. Hunters would like to get the opening of the season moved back.</p><p class="p1">The 2018-19 duck hunting season proposal is for the Coastal and West zones to have splits of Nov. 10-Dec. 2 and Dec. 15-Jan. 20 and for the East Zone to run Nov. 17-Dec. 2 and Dec. 15-Jan. 27.</p><p class="p1">The state’s goose season will run Nov. 3-Dec. 2 and Dec. 15-Feb. 10 for light geese (snow, blue and ross) and specklebellies and Nov. 3-Dec. 2 and Dec. 15-Jan. 31 for Canada geese.</p><p class="p1">The LDWF’s proposal for all hunting seasons as well as any regulation changes can be found on its website of www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p1">The final results came in the past week from Larry Reynolds and his LDWF two-month aerial survey of ducks in the state.</p><p class="p1">He noted in his report that, due to continued delays in getting in the air because of weather, there was a gap between the survey in the Coastal area and that in the northwest and northeast portion of the state. He wrote that the northwest section survey was not completed until after hunting season had closed.</p><p class="p1">His final estimate was that a survey of 3.07 million ducks in the state in the month of January was just about the same as the 3.02 million of December.</p><p class="p1">Reynolds added that results of the survey could have been influenced by water levels and ice that covered some of the southwest Louisiana territory in early January.</p><p class="p2">l</p><p class="p1">The fourth annual family fishing festival at Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (off La. 27) will be April 7.</p><p class="p1">It’s free fishing for the entire family for bass and catfish in three ponds behind the Cameron Prairie headquarters. These stocked ponds are only open to fishing for this event.</p><p class="p1">Fishing time will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.</p>
