WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS
FLOY WARD McELROY
Owner: LDWF (681 acres, Monroe Office)
Self-Clearing Permit required for all activities.
Access restricted. Contact Monroe Field Office for information.
Deer Limit: Limit 1 deer per participant per weekend for all hunts.
Deer Lottery: Hunting by pre-application lottery only. Visit www.wlf.
la.gov/page/lottery-hunts to apply online.
Youth Lottery: Dec. 12-13 & 26-27 and Jan. 9-10. Restricted to
those selected as a result of the pre-application lottery.
Beyond Becoming an Outdoors Woman Lottery Deer Hunt: Dec. 5-6.
Hunt restricted to those that have successfully completed the
Becoming an Outdoors Woman Deer Management course. Must
be hunter education certified. Contact LDWF Education Section
at 318-345-3912 for more information.
FORT POLK-VERNON
Owner: U.S. Army and U.S. Forest Service (105,545 acres, Lake
Charles Office)
Self-Clearing Permit required for all activities. All or portions of the
area may be closed daily due to military activities. Information on
open areas and special ATV regulations can be accessed at the fol-
lowing website: https://home.army.mil/polk/my-Fort-Polk/fort-Polk-
hunting. Hunters are cautioned not to pick up any foreign material or
objects while hunting on the WMA. Also, it is mandatory for hunters
to check the open area maps, located at check stations, daily for sud-
den closures.
Fishing: Magnet fishing is prohibited.
Physically Challenged Wheelchair-Confined Deer Hunting Area: Access
restricted. Check WMA map for location and call Lake Charles or
Baton Rouge offices for details and applications. Hunting by reserva-
tion for wheelchair confined PCHP permittees only. Same deer sea-
sons listed below.
Deer Archery (either-sex): Sept. 19 - Jan. 15. Special Archery regulations
apply to Archery Only Areas, check locally at Building 2396, 22nd
Street, Fort Polk. On Archery Only Areas, either-sex deer are legal Sept.
19 - Jan. 15, with no bucks-only restrictions. Remainder of WMA
restricted to bucks only when bucks only firearms season is in progress.
Deer Firearms (either-sex): Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 and Nov. 29, self-clearing
permit. Nov. 27-28, mandatory deer check.
Deer Firearms (bucks only): Nov. 2-26 and Dec. 12 - Jan. 1
Deer Primitive Firearms (either-sex): Oct. 10-16, self-clearing permit.
Turkey: April 3 - May 2
Turkey Youth Lottery: March 27. Hunting by pre-application lottery
only. Visit www.wlf.la.gov/page/lottery-hunts to apply online.
Small Game and Waterfowl: Same as outside EXCEPT WATERFOWL
CLOSED after 12 noon, and EXCEPT CLOSED Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 and
Nov. 27-29 and EXCEPT CLOSED to squirrel hunting during the spring
season. Hunter Orange or Blaze Pink must be worn when bucks only
gun hunts for deer are in progress. Squirrel hunting with dogs
allowed Nov. 30 - Dec. 11 and Jan. 2 - Feb. 28.
Feral Hogs: May be taken by properly licensed hunters from Sept. 19 -
Jan. 1. Hunters may hunt feral hogs with shotguns loaded with buck-
shot or slugs from Jan. 2 - Feb. 28. Hunters must display 400 square
inches of Hunter Orange or Blaze Pink and wear a Hunter Orange or
Blaze Pink cap during special shotgun season for feral hogs.
Fishing: Special regulations pertaining to fishing are posted at specific
lakes.
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2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting Regulations
FORT POLK NORTH
Owner: U.S. Army (74,309 acres, Lake Charles Office)
Self-Clearing Permit required for all activities. All or portions of the area
may be closed daily due to military activities. Information on open areas
and special ATV regulations can be accessed at the following website:
https://home.army.mil/polk/my-Fort-Polk/fort-Polk-hunting. Hunters
are cautioned not to pick up any foreign material or objects while
hunting on the WMA. Also, it is mandatory for hunters to check the
open area maps, located at check stations, daily for sudden closures.
Fishing: Magnet fishing is prohibited.
Deer Archery (either-sex): Sept. 19 - Jan. 15, either-sex when bucks
only firearms is closed
Deer Firearms (bucks only): Nov. 2-26 and Dec. 12 - Jan. 1
Deer Firearms (either-sex): Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 and Nov. 29, self-clearing
permit. Nov. 27-28, mandatory deer check.
Deer Primitive Firearms (either-sex): Oct. 10-16, self-clearing permit.
Turkey: April 3 - May 2
Turkey Youth Lottery: March 27. Hunting by pre-application lottery
only. Visit www.wlf.la.gov/page/lottery-hunts to apply online.
Small Game and Waterfowl: Same as outside EXCEPT WATERFOWL
CLOSED after 12 noon, and EXCEPT CLOSED Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 and Nov.
27-29, and EXCEPT CLOSED to squirrel hunting during the spring sea-
son. Squirrel hunting with dogs allowed Nov. 30 - Dec. 11 and Jan. 2 -
Feb. 28. Hunter Orange or Blaze Pink must be worn when bucks only
gun hunts for deer are in progress.
Feral Hogs: May be taken by properly licensed hunters from Sept. 19 -
Jan. 1. In addition, hunters may hunt feral hogs with shotguns loaded
with buckshot or slugs from Jan. 2 - Feb. 28. Hunters must display 400
square inches of Hunter Orange or Blaze Pink and wear a Hunter
Orange or Blaze Pink cap during special shotgun season for feral hogs.
GRASSY LAKE
Owner: LDWF (12,983 acres, Lafayette Office)
Self-Clearing Permit required for all activities.
AREA CLOSED: Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, to all hunters EXCEPT Youth Hunters.
CWD Management Zone: Attention deer hunters, Grassy Lake WMA is
located within a CWD Management Zone. See page 12 for more
information about deer carcass transport regulations.
Deer Archery (bucks only): Oct. 1-15
Deer Archery (either-sex): Oct. 16 - Feb. 15
Deer Youth (either-sex): Oct. 31 - Nov. 1
Deer Firearms (either-sex): Nov. 27-28, mandatory deer check.
Nov. 29, self-clearing permit.
Deer Firearms (bucks only): Dec. 26 - Jan. 3
Deer Primitive Firearms (either-sex): Dec. 12-13
Turkey: CLOSED
Small Game and Waterfowl: Same as outside EXCEPT WATERFOWL
CLOSED after 12 noon, and EXCEPT CLOSED Oct. 31 - Nov. 1 and Nov.
27-29 and open to squirrel hunting during the spring squirrel season,
May 1-9, with or without dogs. Beagles allowed for rabbits and dogs
allowed for squirrel hunting Dec. 14-25 and Jan. 4 - Feb. 28.
Youth Squirrel Hunt: Sept. 26-27
Raccoon (nighttime): Sept. 12-27, Dec. 14-25 and Jan. 4 - Feb. 28.
Sport Fishing: Same as outside EXCEPT allowed only after 2 p.m.
during waterfowl season, and EXCEPT allowed after 10 a.m. during
early teal season on Smith Bay, Red River Bay and Grassy Lake proper.
Crawfish: March 15 - July 31. Recreational only. 100 lbs per per-
son per day. No nets or traps may be left overnight.
Commercial Fishing: Prohibited on Smith Bay, Red River Bay and
Grassy Lake proper on Saturdays and Sundays and during open
waterfowl seasons. Permit Required - permits available from the
Lafayette Field Office.