Home › Louisiana › Parishes › Red River Parish
Deer Area 2
Red River Parish Hunting
From the first archery morning to spring gobblers, this Red River Parish guide gathers dates, deer limits, harvest tables, public tracts and the services closest to Coushatta.
Photo: Steve Snodgrass (CC BY 2.0)
Red River Parish in brief
The Minden field office handles LDWF wildlife work in Red River Parish, part of a district that spans the northwest corner: Caddo Lake, the Red River valley, the Kisatchie hills of Claiborne and Webster and the pine and hardwood country around Shreveport. Census puts the 2024 population at 7,238, 5.0% down from the 2020 base of 7,622, and Coushatta serves as the parish seat.
By the Census gazetteer it holds 389 square miles of land plus 13 of open water (3% of the total). On its landward and water edges sit Bienville Parish, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, De Soto Parish and Natchitoches Parish.
Population from the Census Vintage 2024 estimates; area from the 2024 Census gazetteer; neighbours from Census adjacency; seat from the list of Louisiana parishes; LDWF offices from the LDWF Contact Us page. Checked November 4, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Red River Parish
Red River Parish deer dates by area
No boundary splits Red River Parish: the whole parish is Deer Area 2. Public areas inside it keep separate dates, printed in each WMA or federal schedule.
| Area | In parish | Share | Season total | Bucks max | Does max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 2 | Whole parish | 100% | 6 | 3 | 4 |
Red River Parish deer segments by area
| Deer Area | Archery | Muzzleloader | Still-hunt firearms | Dog season | Youth and vets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 2 | Oct 1–Jan 31 | Oct 24–Oct 30 Jan 18–Jan 24 | Oct 31–Dec 9 | Dec 10–Jan 17 | Oct 10–Oct 16 |
A season limit of 6 deer applies here (3 antlered at most, 4 antlerless at most), with a daily limit of one of each. Antlered means one visible hardened antler, or under the new rule velvet antler at least three inches long. Attach the tag (or tag electronically) before moving the deer, then validate it inside 72 hours. Primitive segments are now open to any legal weapon for hunters 65 and older and qualifying disabled hunters, as well as youths 17 and under. Public-land deer still count against the season total for the area.
Areas and limits from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, deer and the LDWF Deer Area map; segment dates from the area schedules (Area 2); shares from the LDWF Deer Management Areas layer; tag and weapon rules from pamphlet p. 22 and p. 23. Checked November 4, 2026.
Red River Parish WMAs, refuges and nearby areas
Roughly 5,938 acres of Red River Parish are public land open to hunting by the LDWF and federal layers (2.4% of the parish), led by federal refuges. Treat these acre counts as map measurements rather than the agencies' official totals.
| Owner or kind | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| LDWF WMA ground | 1,972 |
| Federal refuges | 3,966 |
Red River Parish WMAs, refuges and forest land
Red River NWR
Species: waterfowl, dove, snipe, woodcock and rail.
Bayou Pierre WMA
Species: deer, waterfowl, small game, raccoon and furbearer trapping. Located in the Red River Alluvial Valley, Bayou Pierre WMA has flat terrain with only a 5-foot change in elevation across the entire area.
Hunting areas close to Red River Parish
- Loggy Bayou WMA14 miles, WMA, Bossier Parish
- Wallace Lake (Corps)26 miles, Corps of Engineers land, DeSoto Parish
A WMA Access Permit ($20 annual, $5 five-day) covers adults, and everyone fills out a Self-Clearing Permit each day. Waterfowl hunting on WMAs closes at noon, baiting is prohibited and entry begins at 4 a.m.
Acres from the LDWF WMA layer, USFS ownership, USFWS refuge layer and LDWF federal layers; areas from the LDWF WMA, refuge and conservation area list and each area page; permits from pamphlet p. 6 and WMA rules. Checked November 4, 2026.
Hunts that reach Red River Parish
Louisiana sets deer dates by Deer Area, and Red River Parish falls in Deer Area 2; each area has its own archery, primitive, still-hunt and dog segments. The 54 rows below come from the LDWF pamphlet.
| Game | Weapon or split | Area or zone | Opening | Closing | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | CWD zone archery | Area 2 | Aug 29, 2026 | Sep 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Area 2 | Oct 1, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth and veterans | Area 2 | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive Firearms | Area 2 | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 30, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Still-hunt firearms | Area 2 | Oct 31, 2026 | Dec 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, dogs allowed | Area 2 | Dec 10, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive Firearms | Area 2 | Jan 18, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Challenged hunters | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Lottery permit hunt | Bear Area 6 | Dec 5, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Youth and challenged | Turkey A, B, C | Mar 26, 2027 | Mar 28, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring | Turkey Area B | Apr 3, 2027 | Apr 25, 2027 | |
| Feral hogs | Night take, private land | Private land | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Feral hogs | Year-round, daylight | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Alligator | Recreational lottery | Zones A-H | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Youth (private lands only) | Statewide | Sep 26, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Squirrels | Fall | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Spring | Statewide | May 1, 2027 | May 23, 2027 | |
| Rabbits | Season | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Quail | Season | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Pheasant | Season | Statewide | Nov 21, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Doves | Segment 1 | North zone | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 2 | North zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Nov 15, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 3 | North zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Teal | September teal | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Whistling ducks | Special season | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 11, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Youth and veteran day | West zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 7, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Split 1 | West zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Split 2 | West zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| Ducks and coots | Youth and veteran day | West zone | Jan 30, 2027 | Jan 30, 2027 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Regular season | West zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Conservation Order | West zone | Dec 7, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Regular season | West zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Conservation Order | West zone | Feb 8, 2027 | Mar 7, 2027 | |
| Specklebellies | Regular season | West zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Specklebellies | Regular season | West zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Canada geese | Regular season | West zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Canada geese | Regular season | West zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| King and clapper rails | Season | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| King and clapper rails | Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Sora and Virginia rails | Season | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Sora and Virginia rails | Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Gallinules | Season | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Gallinules | Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Snipe | Season | Statewide | Oct 31, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Snipe | Season | Statewide | Jan 25, 2027 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Season | Statewide | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Crows | Season | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Year-round, daylight | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Armadillo | Year-round, daylight | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Nutria | Recreational hunting | Private land | Sep 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Year-round hunting | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Raccoon | Year-round, day and night | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Opossum | Year-round, day and night | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Foxes (chase) | Chase only (hunting) | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 |
From the LDWF seasons and regulations and the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries), checked November 4, 2026.
Red River Parish deer and turkey harvest
Neither the 2022-23 nor the 2024-25 top-20 table includes Red River Parish; LDWF publishes no other parish harvest figure.
| Report | Harvest rank | Deer count | Acres per deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Not in top 20 | — | Not in top 20 |
| 2022-23 | Not in top 20 | — | Not in top 20 |
Louisiana as a whole reported 143,527 deer in 2024-25, and survey estimates put 2025-26 at about 276,200.
Raw 2025-26 survey answers for the parish's areas: Area 2: 7,207 days and 382 deer.
On the LDWF turkey harvest map for 2026 the label for Red River Parish reads 13 (statewide 4,024); treat it as read from a map.
Parish deer from the Annual Louisiana Deer Report 2024-25 and 2022-23 (top-20 tables only; the 2023-24 report link is dead); statewide and WMA figures from the 2024-25 report; survey from the 2025-26 harvest survey; turkey from the 2026 Wild Turkey Program report (Figure 5 map, read by eye); records from the Big Game Records page. Checked November 4, 2026.
Disease, bear and gator rules for Red River Parish
Red River Parish CWD zone check
The June 2, 2026 zone map leaves Red River Parish outside the CWD Management Zone. The import rule is statewide: no whole carcasses or heads from other states, only processed meat and cleaned parts. None of Louisiana's 55 CWD-positive deer came from Red River Parish.
Red River Parish Bear Area and lottery permits
Bear hunting in Red River Parish (Bear Area 6) is by lottery permit only, December 5-20, 2026; permits: Area 6: 2 general permits. Applications ran July 28 to August 28, 2026 for a $50 fee, the resident Bear License costs $25, and winners must attend bear-hunter training. From November 1 bear permit holders may bait (no raw sweet potatoes or chocolate); no dogs, no cubs.
Red River Parish alligator lottery zone
For the new recreational alligator lottery, Red River Parish belongs to Zone A (500 opportunities), shared with De Soto, Caddo, Bossier, Bienville, Webster and Claiborne. October 1-31, 2026 is the recreational window: two tags per zone, reported within 72 hours. Commercial tags follow East and West zones and run to December 31.
CWD from the June 2, 2026 CWD map, pamphlet p. 12 and the LDWF CWD page; bear from the LDWF black bear lottery page and lottery hunts page; alligator from the LDWF recreational alligator page. Checked November 4, 2026.
Turkey and waterfowl rules for Red River Parish
Spring gobblers in Red River Parish
Turkey season reaches Red River Parish through Turkey Area B, with dates April 3 to April 25, 2027. Two gobblers per season, one per day; the youth hunt is March 26 to March 28, 2027. No turkey hunting within 200 yards of bait; ground counts as baited for 15 days after cleanup.
Red River Parish duck dates
For the West Zone the duck dates are November 14 to December 6, 2026 and December 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027. Youth and veterans hunt November 7, 2026 and January 30, 2027. Teal hunters had September 19 to September 27, 2026; the new whistler season ran October 3 to October 11, 2026 under a free LDWF permit.
Red River Parish dove dates
The North Dove Zone has three segments: September 5 to September 27, 2026, October 10 to November 15, 2026 and December 19, 2026 to January 17, 2027, with a daily bag of 15.
Turkey from pamphlet pp. 30-31 and the LDWF turkey map; waterfowl from pamphlet p. 34 and p. 36; doves from p. 34; baiting from p. 12. Checked November 4, 2026.
Events in Red River Parish
Kinds on file here: UKC nite hunt and Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt. Count: 1 date still ahead and 1 published result.
Coming soon
| Scheduled | Event | Where held | Link | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13, 2026 | N La Wheelin Sportsmen Veterans Deer Hunt · Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt, Ringgold | Ringgold | Event details | Source |
Finished, with winners
| Night or day | Event | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2026 | Tri-Parish CHA UKC Nite Hunt (Hunt 1) | 1st: Bayou Blue Pepper | Source |
Red River Parish agents, towns and processors
LDWF agents covering Red River Parish work out of Minden in Region 1 under Captain Kenneth Balkom. About 33 miles separate the parish centre from the nearest LDWF office, Minden Field Office in Minden.
Towns of Red River Parish
| Town | 2024 people | Areas near (10 mi) | Areas near (25 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coushatta | 1,640 | 1 | 4 |
| Hall Summit | 264 | 2 | 4 |
Red River Parish also includes:
- Martin501
- Edgefield187
Listed in Red River Parish: 1 gun or outdoor store and 1 guide or preserve. Not listed: deer processors and taxidermists. We built the list from LDWF layers, Hunters for the Hungry and directory listings; ring before you go.
Processors, Red River Parish area
Taxidermy, Red River Parish area
Gun shops and stores, Red River Parish area
Guides, Red River Parish area
Offices from the LDWF Contact Us page and LDWF local law enforcement page; towns and places from the 2024 Census gazetteer and Census population estimates; services from LDWF processor layers, Hunters for the Hungry, store locators and Yellow Pages listings. Checked November 4, 2026.
Red River Parish shooters: ranges and match dates
Shooters in Red River Parish cross a parish line to shoot; these three are nearest.
Bossier Parish has the LDWF range closest to Red River Parish: Bodcau Shooting Range, 43 miles off. Full page
Ranges from the LDWF shooting ranges page, ranges’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 4, 2026.
Red River Parish legal shooting light
LDWF prints no sunrise and sunset table, so these times for Red River Parish are worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer window | Duck window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Area 2 archery opens | 7:06 a.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Area 2 gun opens | 7:29 a.m. | 6:26 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 6:56 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 6:26 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | West zone ducks open | 6:41 a.m. | 5:15 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 6:11 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | Bear lottery hunt opens | 6:59 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 6:29 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 10, 2026 | Area 2 dog season | 7:03 a.m. | 5:09 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 6:33 a.m. to 5:09 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:10 a.m. | 5:13 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 5:43 p.m. | 6:40 a.m. to 5:13 p.m. |
| Apr 3, 2027 | Spring turkey opens | 7:01 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. | 6:31 a.m. to 7:34 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations and La. R.S. 56:116.1; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Central Time); checked November 4, 2026. Legal hours for every parish.
Red River Parish rules in brief
Which processor is nearest Red River Parish?
M&M Grocery.
Is Red River Parish split between Deer Areas?
No. The whole parish is Deer Area 2.
What is the season deer limit in Red River Parish?
6 in Area 2, with no more than 3 antlered or 4 antlerless.
What is the turkey limit in Red River Parish?
Two gobblers a season, one a day.
How many bear permits cover Red River Parish?
Area 6: 2 general permits.
Is there a coastal duck zone for Red River Parish?
No; Louisiana uses East and West only, and Red River Parish is West.
Is Red River Parish North or South for doves?
North.
Does Red River Parish have CWD archery?
No, that segment is only for zone parts of Areas 1, 2 and 6.
How soon must a Red River Parish alligator be reported?
Within 72 hours.
What is the biggest public area in Red River Parish?
Red River NWR, 18,440 acres.
How do I reach LDWF agents in Red River Parish?
Region 1 office in Minden, (318) 371-3049.
Answers from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF seasons and regulations, hunter orange rule, tagging rules, Sunday hunting, hunter education, the Annual Louisiana Deer Report and the sources above. Checked November 4, 2026.
Red River Parish last checks before the truck is loaded
Get permission before hunting private land in Red River Parish, and self-clear every time you enter a WMA.
Sources: 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, LDWF hunting, Census and the sources in each section. Checked November 4, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Martin Jambon (CC BY 2.0).