QUADRUPEDS & RESIDENT GAME BIRDS
QUADRUPEDS & RESIDENT GAME BIRDS
Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, EXCEPT for Raccoon and Opossum
which are legal for day and nighttime take. Consult Wildlife Management Area and Federal Land schedules for specific
regulations and dates on those areas.
2026-2027 QUADRUPEDS & RESIDENT GAME BIRDS SCHEDULE
Species Season Dates Daily Bag Limit Possession Limit
Quail Nov. 21 - Feb. 28 10 30
Rabbit Oct. 3 - Feb. 28 8 24
Oct. 3 - Feb. 28 8 24
Squirrel
May 1-23* 3 9
Squirrel youth (Private lands only)** Sept. 26-27 8 16
*Spring squirrel season is CLOSED on the Kisatchie National Forest, some national wildlife refuges, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property and some state WMAs
(check WMA season schedule)
**NOTE: Select state wildlife management areas and other public lands will be open for youth squirrel hunting (check WMA and public lands season schedules).
SCHEDULES
BOBCAT
SEASON: Experimental Year Round Season
LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
A Basic Hunting License is required of all persons hunting bobcat.
See page 8 for exceptions and exemptions.
PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Take of bobcat outside of legal shooting hours.
LIMIT
One per calendar year.
RACCOON AND OPOSSUM
SEASON: Year Round Season
LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
Basic Hunting License required of all persons hunting Raccoon
and Opossum.
A Trapping License is required to sell skins and carcasses during
open trapping seasons. See page 8 for exceptions and exemptions.
PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Selling of skins and carcasses without a valid Trapping License.
Pelting or selling of skins and carcasses outside of the open trap-
ping season.
Hunting from boats or motor vehicles.
Hunting or taking furbearing animals at night with artificial light
EXCEPT it is legal to hunt or take raccoon or opossum at night with
lights, provided such hunting or take is conducted with the use of
one or more dogs (R.S. 56:116.C.1).
NUTRIA
SEASON: Sept. 1 - Feb. 28. See exception below for certain WMAs.
PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES
Possession of detached nutria parts, including nutria tails, by rec-
reational hunters.
Pelting of recreationally harvested nutria.
Sale of recreationally harvested nutria or any parts from recre-
ationally harvested nutria.
Leaving of recreationally harvested nutria carcass in the field, EX-
CEPT that nutria may be gutted.
DAILY LIMIT
No daily limit
LEGAL GEAR
Firearms, archery equipment, and primitive firearms legal for deer.
EXCEPTIONS
Licensed trappers may take bobcat during the open trapping sea-
son without possessing a Basic Hunting License.
Regulation does not apply to state wildlife refuges or other feder-
ally owned refuges and lands.
On state WMAs and Kisatchie National Forest the take of bobcat
is restricted to those open seasons which require the respective
legal gear noted above.
DAILY LIMIT
Two raccoon and two opossum per day or night (see exception for
open trapping season).
LEGAL GEAR
During daylight hours:
- Rimfire firearms .22 caliber or smaller.
- Muzzleloading firearm .36 caliber or smaller.
- Legal archery gear
- Air rifles
- Shotguns only during daylight hours.
During nighttime hours:
- Rimfire firearms .22 caliber or smaller.
EXCEPTIONS
No daily limit for nighttime or daytime raccoon or opossum during
the open trapping season EXCEPT on certain WMAs as listed.
LEGAL GEAR
Any gear on private lands. Shotguns with non-toxic shot only and
rimfire rifles .22 caliber and smaller on WMAs.
EXCEPTIONS
Nutria may be taken on Atchafalaya Delta, Salvador/Timken,
Pointe-Aux-Chenes, and Pass-a-Loutre WMAs Sept. 1 - March 31.
On WMAs during waterfowl seasons, nutria may be taken only by
the use of shotguns with shot not larger than F steel.
The Coastwide Nutria Control Program is a separate program and is
in no way related to the nutria recreational season. For questions on
the Coastwide Nutria Control Program call the Lafayette field office:
337-262-2080.
www.wlf.louisiana.gov
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