Bowsite.com

Any good bow hunting only public land??

I am an avid bow hunter looking for any refuge's or wma land that is bow only

Many of the NWR's are bow only except some lottery weekends. I used to hunt several of them...Tensas, Cat Island, Lake Ophelia, and Bayou Cocodrie. Haven't hunted them in a few years though. Very few WMA's are bow only, although some have pretty short gun seasons. Just have to look through the WMA regs.

Big Branch NWR is archery only. Heavily pressured though because its such a narrow strip. Hard to get away from anyone. Acadiana Conservation Corridor along I-49 North of Opelousas is as well but sort of the same issue as Big Branch and possibly more so. I have heard of some good deer coming out of there. I believe Laccasine and Atchafalaya Delta WMA are as well.

Bzachary32, Thistlewaite WMA North of Opelousas has restricted areas that for years were off limits to any hunting. They have since relaxed the restriction to allow "bow hunting only" in these areas. The WMA has 11,100 Acres in total. I would guess that this limited area is less than 1% of the total unit. There is camping at "Willie's Campground" a private operation just off exit 27 of I-49. ATV use is limited to handicap and seniors only. This is a plus to the hunter willing to hike in deep to be undisturbed. Game carts are a welcome and useful tool.

They have a decent gene pool and some incredible old growth oak forests that hold some quality deer. Trophy quality hit a peak back in the late 1980's-early90's. I think a couple 180" dear were killed and I know of a buck that weighted 332# (live weight) on a certified scale. The hunting can be very tough mainly due to the endless palmettos that are "dog-hair thick" and over head high in places. The short rifle seasons have been modified the last few years to take place in December. The muzzleloader season is either sex and often produces the best bucks. The rut is prime here after Christmas and into January. Bow hunters have it to themselves for the whole month of January if you have the patience to figure out the deer here. The potential for a quality buck is always in play.

Griz, I didn't know that about the restricted areas in Thistlewaite. Wish they'd expand it a bit.:) Ashame about the Palmettos there. When I was a kid my Dad hunted Thistlewaite heavily, back in the '70's. The Palmettos were nothing like they are now. Dang things spread like crazy.

Palmettos are bad for deer hunting?

Palmettos aren't bad for deer hunting. They're horrible for tracking deer though.

Grand Cote NWR is another archery only public land spot. There is an area of Alexander State Forest WMA that is archery only also.

I will be moving from CT to the New Orleans area in January and will be looking for places to bowhunt. I also have 2 Brittanies that I hunt birds with here in New England and am a little concerned about snakes as these dogs have never had any experience with poisonous snakes. Any info on that topic would be very much appreciated.

We have our fair share of poisonous snakes here. Cottonmouths are very common. You can also expect to see the occasional Canebrake rattlesnake, Pygmy rattlesnake, Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Copperhead, and Coral snake. Stick to running your Brittanies in cooler weather and you should have no issues. The problem is cooler weather is hard to come by down here.

That's a fair share of nasty snakes. We have here in CT, copperheads (seldom seen) and timber rattlers (only in a few isolated locations). My wife tells me not to come home from hunting in Northern Maine or New Hampshire if I lose one of the dogs. I'm sure she would be less than happy (along with me) if I lost a dog to snakebite.

Planning on making a scouting trip to a new to me WMA in September that spans Catahoula and Caldwell parishes in hopes of making a hunt or two there this fall.

I am now living here in Louisiana (since January) and ready to start looking for some public land to hunt. I am living in New Orleans and any info on areas nearby would be greatly appreciated.

Maurepas Swamp, Salvador/Timken, Manchac, Joyce, Biloxi, and Pearl River WMAs are all viable options for you. Those are just the larger WMAs in your area. There are many more smaller parcels to check out on the LDWF website.

Thanks for the list and good luck to you.

If you're willing to drive and stay overnight, Tensas WMA area has good deer hunting. There's some great bucks killed every year there. Welcome to the city. I also live in the area. My advice would be to stay away from the Pearl River WMA. It's too close to the city and as a result, gets a lot of pressure. It's tough hunting at best. I'd definitely stay out of those woods during rifle season. Just my opinion.

Thanks Chief

Register here to reply to this topic