2011-2012 Migratory Game Birds Hunting Seasons

L.W.F.C. Sets Tentative 2011-12 Migratory Waterfowl Season

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) voted to tentatively adopt proposed season dates, bag limits and shooting hours for the 2011-12 migratory waterfowl season at their Aug. 4 meeting. The dates will be ratified by a declaration of emergency from the commission, after approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Following a comment period that began after the July commission meeting, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) recommended a 60-day season for ducks, coots and mergansers. In the West Zone, the first segment will open on Nov. 12 and close on Dec. 4. The second segment will open on Dec. 17 and run through Jan. 22. In the East Zone, the first segment will go from Nov. 19 to 27. The second segment will last from Dec. 10 to Jan. 29.

A proposal to move the Youth waterfowl weekend to the weekend during the splits was revised by LDWF based on a majority of public comments received. Those comments favored keeping that weekend opportunity for youth prior to the season opening dates in both zones. The revised Youth waterfowl weekend dates proposed by the department and adopted by the commission are Nov. 5-6 in the West Zone and Nov. 12-13 in the East Zone.

The daily bag limit on ducks is six and may include no more than four mallards (no more than two of which may be females), two pintails, one canvasback, one mottled duck, one black duck, three wood ducks, two scaup and two redheads.

The daily bag limit on coots is 15. The daily bag limit for mergansers is five, of which only two may be hooded mergansers. The merganser limits are in addition to the daily bag limit for ducks.

The possession limit on ducks, coots and mergansers is twice the daily bag limit.