Deer hunting with dogs in Kisatchie Nat. Forest now prohibited | Public Spaces

A directive from the U.S. Forest Service has put an end to using dogs while deer hunting in Kisatchie National Forest. The new rule began with the 2012-13 hunting season.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said this decision was made at the federal level, which supercedes the previous rule which allowed for nine days of using dogs while deer hunting during December.

All deer season dates within the KNF for the 2012-2013 season are now still hunting only and no special federal or state deer hunting permit is required.

The remaining deer season dates, within the Catahoula (Grant and Rapides parishes), Winn (Winn, Grant and Natchitoches parishes), Kisatchie Ranger Districts (Natchitoches Parish), and the Evangeline Unit of the Calcasieu Ranger District (Rapides Parish), include the following:
•    Firearms, either sex: Nov. 23, still hunt only
•    Firearms, bucks only: Nov. 3-22 and 24-25, Dec. 15-30, still hunt only.

The public is advised that the deer hunting “with or without dogs” dates listed for the KNF in the printed 2012-2013 Louisiana Hunting Regulations booklet are no longer valid.  A revised version of the booklet is available on the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) website with all deer season changes included. To access that document, go to: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/regulations.

For details, visit the Forest Service’s website at www.fs.usda.gov/kisatchieor the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries website at  http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov. For additional information: KNF contacts are Jim Caldwell at 318-473-7168 or 318-613-1048, or Mike Balboni at 318-473-7102; LDWF contact is Bo Boehringer at 225-765-5115.