Outdoors: Spring squirrel hunting season opens May 3, LDWF announces

By Trey Iles, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana spring squirrel hunting season begins May 3 in most parts of Louisiana and lasts until May 25, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced. Squirrel hunting is the perfect gateway for hunting and a great introduction for youth into the sport.

A basic hunting license is all that is needed to hunt squirrels and those 17 and under are not required to have a youth license to hunt squirrels. There are many LDWF public lands on which hunting opportunity is available. Louisiana has two species of squirrels; gray and fox squirrels.

The bag limit is three per day during the spring with a possession limit of nine.

Spring squirrel season is closed on the Kisatchie National Forest, some national wildlife refuges, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property and some state WMAs.

For a complete list of WMAs and public lands open to squirrel hunting and more information on WMA squirrel hunting, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Regulations/2024-2025-Hunting-Regulations.pdf.

To purchase a hunting license, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/hunting-licenses-permits-tags.

All visitors to LDWF WMAs must have either a WMA Access Permit, Senior Hunting/Fishing License, Louisiana Sportsman’s Paradise License or Lifetime Hunting/Fishing License. Go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/wmarefugeconservation-area-licenses-and-permits for more information.

For more information on squirrel hunting in Louisiana, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/small-game or contact LDWF Small Game/Wild Turkey Program Manager Cody Cedotal at [email protected].