By Trey Iles, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Louisiana turkey hunters once again enjoyed a banner year in the recently completed 2025 turkey season, harvesting more than 3,500 birds for the second consecutive year, according to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) reported harvest data.
A total of 3,576 birds were reported as harvested, which is second only to 2024, when 3,695 were reported, since harvest reporting was mandated in 2009. The last four seasons, 2022-25, were the best four since reported harvest data has been compiled.
The 2025 season is the first in which the harvest of juvenile males, or jakes, was restricted to a bag limit of one for youth hunters only. In 2024, 434 jakes were reported while 111 were reported in 2025.
In 2018, based upon LDWF staff recommendations, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission pushed back the start of turkey season to aid in reproduction and help increase and sustain turkey populations across the state.
“This year is the fourth year of elevated reported turkey harvest,’’ LDWF Small Game/Turkey Program Manager Cody Cedotal said. “Reported harvest of adult males in 2025 exceeded that of 2024 by 204 birds. This four-year pattern clearly indicates increased turkey populations in many areas of the state and provides additional evidence that the season change is working.’’
Similar to 2024, the season began with above average reported harvest during the youth weekend and first two weeks of the regular season despite less than optimal weather across much of the state, Cedotal said. Reported turkey harvest for the last two weeks decreased slightly from the previous year’s report for the same time period.
“Many hunters again indicated increased encounters with jakes, which is an indicator of good reproduction in some areas of the state,’’ Cedotal said. “Season assessments received from hunters ranged from poor to very good.
“Weather conditions were somewhat wet in April and very wet thus far in May in many parts of the state. Hopefully, a drier trend will prevail throughout remainder of May and into June to improve nesting and brood rearing conditions.’’
Forthcoming results from the 2024/2025 Louisiana Big and Small Game Harvest Survey will allow for a comparison of estimated harvest generated from that survey and an assessment of hunter-effort for the 2025 season.
Private landowners can get assistance in upgrading turkey habitat by contacting LDWF Private Land Biologists. For more information, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/private-land-management-assistance.
For more information on Louisiana turkey populations and hunting, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/turkey or contact Cody Cedotal at [email protected].