Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 76 - WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES › Part XIX - Hunting and WMA Regulations › Chapter 1 - Resident Game Hunting Season › Section XIX-113 - General and WMA Turkey Hunting Regulations

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. General Regulations. Only adult gobblers
				(male turkeys) may be taken. An adult gobbler is defined by having one of the
				following: wing feathers that have white barring all the way to the tip, tail
				feathers that are the same length, beard that is longer than 6 inches, or a
				spur that is at least 1/2-inch long. Properly licensed youth under 18 years of
				age may take one juvenile male turkey (jake) with a beard less than six inches
				per season. Any turkey harvested during the youth season are part of the season
				bag limit of two. Taking of hen (female) turkeys, including bearded hens, is
				prohibited; still hunting only. Use of dogs, electronic calling devices,
				motorized decoys and live decoys is illegal. Turkeys may be hunted with
				shotguns, including muzzleloading shotguns, using shot not larger than #2 lead,
				#2 non-toxic, or BB steel shot, and approved archery equipment but by no other
				means. Shooting turkeys from a moving or stationary vehicle is prohibited.
				Shotguns capable of holding more than three shells prohibited. The running of
				coyote with dogs is prohibited in all turkey hunting areas during the open
				turkey season. No person shall hunt, trap or take turkeys by the aid of baiting
				or on or over any baited area. Baiting means placing, exposing, depositing or
				scattering of corn (shelled, shucked or unshucked), wheat or other grain, salt,
				or other feed so as to constitute a lure, attraction or enticement to, on or
				over any areas where hunters are attempting to take turkeys. A baited area is
				any area where corn (shelled, shucked or unshucked), wheat or other grain,
				salt, or other feed capable of luring, attracting or enticing turkeys is
				directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered.
				Such areas remain baited areas for 15 days following complete removal of all
				such corn, wheat or other grain, salt, or other feed. Wildlife agents are
				authorized to close such baited areas and to place signs in the immediate
				vicinity designating closed zones and dates of closures. No person hunting
				turkeys more than 200 yards from a baited area will be in violation of the
				turkey baiting regulation.
B. Tags
1. Prior to hunting turkeys, all turkey
				hunters, regardless of age or license status, must obtain turkey tags and have
				them in their possession while turkey hunting. Turkey tags may only be used by
				the hunter to whom the tag was issued. Hunters who allow their turkey tags to
				be used by another person, or who use tags issued to another person, are in
				violation of this Rule and are subject to fines and other administrative
				penalties, including, but not limited to, the automatic forfeiture of any
				remaining turkey tags for the season for which they are issued. Immediately
				upon killing a turkey, hunters must attach a carcass tag to or electronically
				tag the turkey before it is moved from the site of the kill and must document
				the kill on the turkey harvest report card. If using carcass tags, the date of
				kill and parish of kill must be recorded on the carcass tag, and the tag must
				remain attached to the turkey while kept at camp or while it is transported to
				the domicile of the hunter or to a cold storage facility. Hunters who keep the
				carcass or meat at a camp must also comply with game possession tag
				regulations. Within 72 hours of the kill, the hunter must report the kill.
				Hunters may report turkeys electronically, calling the validation phone number,
				or using the validation website.
2.
				Turkey hunters purchasing licenses by phone will be given an authorization
				number and a LDWF identification number that will serve as their license and
				tags until the physical license and tags arrive by mail. Turkey hunters who
				have purchased a license with tags, but have not yet received their physical
				license and tags, must immediately tag their kill with a possession tag before
				moving it from the site of the kill. The authorization number and LDWF
				identification number must be recorded on the possession tag. Hunters must
				retain documentation of any turkeys killed and upon receiving their physical
				tags and harvest report card, validate their kill as required in these
				regulations. The tags for turkeys killed prior to receiving the physical tags
				must be removed from the turkey harvest report card and discarded.
3. Tags removed from the turkey harvest
				report card prior to killing a turkey are no longer valid and if lost will not
				be replaced. Duplicate tags and turkey harvest report cards are available to
				replace lost report cards and attached tags. Hunters will be charged a fee for
				duplicate turkey harvest report cards and tags. Hunters that have killed a
				turkey prior to losing their remaining tag and harvest report card must remove
				and discard the duplicate tag to account for the original tag that was used and
				validated. Hunters must record any previously validated turkey on the duplicate
				turkey harvest report card.