The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) has adopted a resolution to expand the Dewey W. Wills Wildlife Management Area (WMA) by 2,440 acres to incorporate riparian river bank property owned by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), as well as state-owned water bottoms and islands of Little River.
The property is located in LaSalle Parish within the Catahoula Basin. The expanded WMA is bounded by the Rapides and LaSalle Parish line, the northern-most bank of Little River and riverbank property of the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge.
The resolution was passed during a special meeting Thursday (Nov. 17) in Baton Rouge.
The commission’s resolution is the result of decades-long litigation, in which the courts determined that the water body historically known as Catahoula Lake is not a lake at all, but rather a river that seasonally overflows its banks (Little River). The courts also held that the Catahoula Basin riparian landowners own the property surrounding the banks of Little River, as opposed to the Catahoula Basin being classified as state public water bottom. LDWF is a riparian landowner, as it owns the property known as the Dewey Wills WMA.
With waterfowl season beginning Saturday (Nov. 19), the commission considered it prudent to adopt a resolution expanding the Dewey W. Wills WMA boundary to include the river bank property adjacent to the WMA and the state water bottom portion of Little River.
This resolution will continue to provide access and expanded opportunity for the public to hunt the Catahoula Basin during duck season. All hunters are required to abide by WMA rules and regulations.
To see the full resolution, visit https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/category/commission-action-items.
For more information on Dewey W. Wills WMA, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/dewey-w-wills.