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Small Game - Quail, Rabbit, Squirrel, Woodcock
Hunting, Research, and Management
Hunting quail, rabbit, or squirrel (small game) in Louisiana is the perfect gateway into hunting. It’s relatively inexpensive and, in the case of squirrel and rabbit, the species are abundant with plenty of hunting opportunities on public land.
Research and Management
LDWF conducts surveys to develop population indices and track population trends for small game species (quail, rabbit, and squirrel). Using this information, managers set hunting seasons and regulations. LDWF conducts other research to improve management, offers technical assistance to improve small game habitat on public and private lands, and participates in various regional and national committees involved in monitoring and managing small game.
Special Licenses and Permits
LDWF issues special licenses and permits related to small game hunting:
- Bird Dog Training Area Permit
- WMA Bird Dog Training Area Permit
- Commercial Hunting Preserve License
- See a list of commercial hunting preserves currently open to the public.
Woodcock
Louisiana has important wintering grounds for woodcock with some of the highest numbers of wintering woodcock in the United States. Several WMAs, national forests and wildlife refuges, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lands, as well as private lands, are managed to enhance woodcock habitat and hunting opportunities—this means more birds and great places to hunt them. . As a result, Louisiana consistently has more hunters who spend more days afield hunting woodcock than any other southern state. Based on annual LDWF hunter surveys, an average of about 5,000 hunters harvest more than 22,400 woodcock each season.
Hunting Woodcock on Public Land
Interested in hunting woodcock in Louisiana? Public lands in Louisiana, including WMAs, national forests, wildlife refuges, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lands, offer ample woodcock hunting opportunities. Woodcock distribution varies from year to year depending on soil moisture and temperature. In most years, areas in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River floodplains, such as Sherburne WMA, Indian Bayou Area, and Dewey Wills WMA, offer the best woodcock hunting. However, hunters should not overlook upland areas, such as Kisatchie National Forest and Clear Creek WMA, Bodcau WMA, and Sandy Hollow WMAs, which can also offer very good hunting.