LWFC OK’s squirrel, rabbit hunting with dogs at Thistlethwaite WMA

Small game hunters at Thistlethwaite Wildlife Management Area will be able to hunt squirrel and rabbit with dogs during the month of February.
Tony Vidrine, Mississippi Alluvial Valley South Region manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said, “We’ve never had this before. Thistlewaite is kind of unique. The Thistlewaite family owns it, and we have to coordinate with them. That’s their land.
“At last year’s public hearing, we had an inquiry as to why we don’t allow dog hunting in Thistlewaite. I contacted the Thisltewaites to see if they would have a problem with us allowing squirrel and rabbit hunting with dogs, and they said they did not.”
The regulation was approved during the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at its April meeting Thursday in Baton Rouge. At the meeting, the commission also approved the 2016-18 hunting season dates and 2016-17 general and Wildlife Management Areas hunting rules and regulations.
Vidrine said he expects that those hunting squirrels with dogs will do well, but the dense palmetto understory at the 11,100-acre WMA may hamper those looking to harvest rabbits.
“I don’t know how good they are going to do with the rabbit dogs, but those who want to go out and do it, it gives those people an opportunity to hunt,” he said. “Thats all we’re doing — providing an opportunity.”
He continued, “There is a good squirrel population in there, so we may see more squirrel dogs. I’m sure several people in that area were just looking for a place to run their dogs and go rabbit hunting, but I don’t think they will be too successful at the WMA.”
In recent years, there has been a push across the state for more public land access for those who hunt small game with dogs as the popularity of deer hunting at WMAs has grown and affected regulations.
Vidrine said he expects the dog squirrel and rabbit hunting season will not have an adverse effect on the WMA’s deer season.
“I just don’t think that many people will be participating in the new season, and deer archery season ends Feb. 15,” he said. “That’s just 15 days of overlap, but I don’t see it being a problem.
“We’ve been having a dog season in Sherburne WMA for many years, and we haven’t had any complaints about dog rabbit and squirrel hunters from the deer hunters.”
Louisiana has 53 WMAs across the state, and the state’s WMAs and refuges cover more than 1.6 million acres or roughly 4.4 percent of the state. There are also 23 national wildlife refuges in the state, and those facilities total 550,000 acres.
“There are plenty enough places to hunt in Louisiana,” Vidrine said. “Public lands are pretty spread out across the state, and even it there’s not state wildlife lands nearby, there’s a lot of national wildlife refuges.
“There’s a lot of opportunity if somebody’s looking for a place to hunt. Most of the time, you don’t even have to drive that far to get to a wildlife management area or a national wildlife refuge.”
During the commission meeting, season dates for the 2017 turkey season and associated rules and regulations along with the 2016-17 migratory bird hunting season and rules and regulations were also approved. This is the first year of the inclusion of waterfowl seasons, regulations and bag limits in the annual Notice of Intents process.
The East Zone season will be Nov. 19 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 29, and the zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 12 and Feb. 4. In the West Zone, the season will be Nov. 12 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 22, and the zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 5 and Jan. 28. The season in the Coastal Zone will be Nov. 12 to Dec. 4 and Dec. 17 to Jan. 22, and zone’s youth hunts will be Nov. 5 and 6.
Hunters will be allowed a daily bag limit of six ducks, which may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be females), two canvasbacks, one mottled duck, one black duck, three wood ducks, three scaup, two redheads and two pintails. The daily bag limit on coots will be 15, and the daily bag limit on mergansers will be five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers. Merganser limits will be in addition to the daily bag limit for ducks.
The duck zone changes approved last fall will be in effect for the 2016-2017 hunting season. About half of Evangeline Parish is in the East Zone and the other is in the West Zone. The area north of U.S. 190 and west of La. 13 and U.S. 167 is in the West Zone. All of the parish east of La. 13 and U.S. 167 is in the East Zone.
The boundaries are as follows:
East Zone: The area of the state between the Mississippi State line and the line going south on La. 79 from the Arkansas border to Homer; then south on La. 9 to Arcadia; then south on La. 147 to Hodge; then south on La. 167 to Turkey Creek; then south on La. 13 to Eunice; then west U.S. 190 to Kinder; then south on La. 165 to Iowa; then west on I-10 to its junction with La. 14 at Lake Charles; then south and east on La. 14 to its junction with U.S. 90 in New Iberia; then east on U.S. 90 to the Mississippi State line.
West Zone: The area between the Texas State line and the line going east on I-10 from the Texas border to La. 165 at Iowa; then north on La. 165 to Kinder; then east on U.S. 190 to Eunice; then north on La. 13 to Turkey Creek; then north on La. 167 to Hodge; then north on La. 147 to Arcadia; then north on La. 9 to Homer; then north on La. 79 to the Arkansas border.
Coastal Zone: Remainder of state.
The commission also voted to approve four other amendments to the Notice of Intent, including:
•Amending the 2016-17 Light and White-fronted goose season to open Nov. 5 for the first split in both the north and south zones, which will extend the season length by seven days.
•Amending the 2016-17 Canada goose season to open Nov. 5 for the first split in both the north and south zones, which will extend the season length by seven days.
Changes from previous hunting seasons in the approved NOIs include but are not limited to:
•Implementation of mandatory hunter check-in for either-sex firearms deer hunts on several WMAs, including Sherburne.
Changes from previous hunting seasons in the approved NOIs include but are not limited to:
•Modification of allowable weapons to be carried for protection purposes on WMAs, which will expand allowances on such weapons to be more consistent with changes to Title 56 last year.
•Expansion on allowance for personal water craft on WMAs, to allow such on all WMAs during a specified time of year.
To view the full notices of intent and all proposed hunting season dates and regulations changes for the upcoming hunting seasons, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/action-items.