Home › Louisiana › Parishes › St. Bernard Parish
2026-27 parish guide
St. Bernard Parish Hunting
What a hunter needs before driving to St. Bernard Parish: which Deer Area applies, how many deer may be tagged, every dated season, mapped public land and the closest LDWF office to Chalmette.
Photo: George Bannister (CC BY 2.0)
St. Bernard Parish: size, people and LDWF office
St. Bernard Parish is worked by the LDWF Hammond field office, whose area takes in the Florida Parishes and the southeast: Pearl River and Lake Maurepas swamps, the Lake Pontchartrain basin, Delta marsh and the pine flats north of Lake Pontchartrain. The 2024 Census estimate for the parish is 44,783 people (2.3% up from the 2020 base of 43,765); government offices are in Chalmette.
Water accounts for 82% of the parish: 1,778 square miles, next to 378 square miles of land. Next door are Orleans Parish, Plaquemines Parish and St. Tammany Parish, plus Hancock (MS) and Harrison (MS) on the far side of the state border.
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.
Deer Areas covering St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish lies wholly within Deer Area 9; no area line crosses it. The area dates stop at the boundary of any WMA or federal tract, which sets its own.
| Deer Area | Extent | Approx. share | Season bag | Antlered limit | Antlerless limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 9 | Whole parish | 100% | 6 | 3 | 4 |
St. Bernard Parish deer calendar by Deer Area
| Area | Bow season | Primitive season | Still gun | Dogs allowed | Youth and veterans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Area 9 | Oct 1–Feb 15 | Nov 14–Nov 20 Jan 25–Jan 31 | Nov 21–Dec 11 | Dec 12–Jan 24 | Oct 31–Nov 6 |
Hunters may take one antlered and one antlerless deer a day, and the season total in Deer Area 9 is 6, of which no more than 3 may be antlered or 4 antlerless. A legal antlered deer has at least one visible hard antler, and for 2026-27 velvet antlers three inches or longer also qualify. Tag the deer before moving it and validate the tag within 72 hours by text, the LouisianaOutdoors.com portal, LA Wallet or phone. The primitive-season weapon rule now exempts hunters 65 and older and qualifying disabled hunters, in addition to youths. A deer killed on a wildlife management area counts against the same Deer Area season total.
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 9); shares from the LDWF Deer Management Areas layer; tag and weapon rules from pamphlet p. 22 and p. 23. Checked November 4, 2026.
Public land in and near St. Bernard Parish
Public land here adds up to about 38,751 acres on the GIS layers (16.0% of the land area), mainly wildlife management areas. Starred lines are context only: those acres are refuges, parks or military land, not open public hunting ground. Polygon measures are approximate; official acreage is on each area page.
| Category | Acres in parish |
|---|---|
| Wildlife management areas | 34,496 |
| National wildlife refuges | 4,255 |
| State parks* | 181 |
| Military land* | 31 |
St. Bernard Parish public tracts
Biloxi WMA
Open for: deer, waterfowl, small game, rabbit and snipe. Biloxi Marsh Lands Corporation, the owner of over 88,000 acres of marsh, swamp and other overflowed lands in eastern St.
Hunters 18 and older need a WMA Access Permit ($20 a year or $5 for five days) on any WMA, plus the free Self-Clearing Permit each day, filled in at the station or in the LDWF app. No bait is allowed on WMAs, hunters may enter from 4 a.m., and public-land duck hunting stops at noon this season.
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.
St. Bernard Parish openers and closers
These are private-land dates; wildlife management areas and refuges near St. Bernard Parish run their own shorter schedules.
| Species | Hunt | Where | First day | Last day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Area 9 | Oct 1, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Area 9 | Oct 16, 2026 | Feb 15, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth and veterans | Area 9 | Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive Firearms | Area 9 | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 20, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Still-hunt firearms | Area 9 | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 22, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Still-hunt firearms | Area 9 | Nov 23, 2026 | Nov 26, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Still-hunt firearms | Area 9 | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Still-hunt firearms | Area 9 | Nov 30, 2026 | Dec 11, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, dogs allowed | Area 9 | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, dogs allowed | Area 9 | Dec 14, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, dogs allowed | Area 9 | Dec 19, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms, dogs allowed | Area 9 | Dec 21, 2026 | Jan 24, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive Firearms | Area 9 | Jan 25, 2027 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Challenged hunters | Statewide | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Lottery permit hunt | Bear Area 7 | Dec 5, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | |
| 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 | South zone | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 2 | South zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 3 | South zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 10, 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.
Deer and turkey numbers for St. Bernard Parish
No deer total is available for St. Bernard Parish: the annual deer reports list only the top 20 parishes, and it is not among them in 2022-23 or 2024-25.
| Season | Parish rank | Reported deer | Acres/deer rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Not in top 20 | — | Not in top 20 |
| 2022-23 | Not in top 20 | — | Not in top 20 |
For scale, Louisiana hunters reported 143,527 deer in 2024-25; the newer 2025-26 survey puts the harvest near 276,200.
In the 2025-26 survey, respondents who hunted the areas covering St. Bernard Parish reported Area 9: 1,343 days and 42 deer; these are raw respondent totals, not estimates.
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.
St. Bernard Parish zone rules beyond deer
St. Bernard Parish carcass and feeding rules
No part of St. Bernard Parish is in the CWD Management Zone shown on the June 2, 2026 map. Statewide, deer carcasses from other states may enter Louisiana only as boned or cut meat, clean quarters, antlers, cleaned skulls, capes, hides, mounts or teeth. LDWF lists no CWD detection in St. Bernard Parish. The 55 confirmed cases are in Tensas, Catahoula, Concordia and Ouachita.
Bear permits covering St. Bernard Parish
For bears, St. Bernard Parish falls in Bear Area 7; the permit-only season is December 5-20, 2026 and the permits are Area 7: 2 general permits. Bear permits need a $50 application, a $25 license and a training class before the hunt. Permit holders may hunt over bait from November 1, must still-hunt without dogs, and may not take cubs of 75 pounds or less or females with cubs.
Gator season for St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard Parish sits in alligator Zone H with St. Tammany, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist, a zone allotted 400 lottery opportunities. The new season is October 1 to 31, 2026, with two alligators per winner per zone and a 72-hour report. Separate commercial seasons in the East and West zones last until 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.
St. Bernard Parish turkey, ducks and doves
Turkey hunting in St. Bernard Parish
The turkey map leaves St. Bernard Parish outside every Turkey Area, so it is closed.
St. Bernard Parish ducks and geese
Ducks, coots and mergansers in the West Zone are open November 14 to December 6, 2026 and December 19, 2026 to January 24, 2027. Youth and veteran dates: November 7, 2026 and January 30, 2027. Two early seasons reach every parish: teal September 19 to September 27, 2026 and black-bellied whistling ducks October 3 to October 11, 2026 (free permit, four daily).
Doves around St. Bernard Parish
South Zone dove dates are September 5 to September 20, 2026, October 17 to November 29, 2026 and December 12, 2026 to January 10, 2027; limit 15 a day.
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.
St. Bernard Parish offices, towns and shops
For wildlife law, St. Bernard Parish falls under Region 8 (New Orleans), where Tim Fox is captain. The nearest LDWF office in a straight line is the New Orleans Office in New Orleans, about 48 miles from the parish centre.
St. Bernard Parish base towns
Other Census places in St. Bernard Parish:
- Arabi
- Poydras
- Violet
Our directory lists 3 gun and outdoor stores and 1 guide or preserve inside St. Bernard Parish, and no deer processors and taxidermists; neighbouring parishes fill the gaps below. Listings come from LDWF processor layers, the Hunters for the Hungry list, store locators and Yellow Pages; call ahead, because hours change in season.
Where to process deer, St. Bernard Parish area
Taxidermists nearby, St. Bernard Parish area
Guns, ammo and gear, St. Bernard Parish area
Guides and preserves nearby, St. Bernard 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.
St. Bernard Parish: gun clubs, clay fields and LDWF lines
Ranges on file for St. Bernard Parish: 1; every card states its access rule.
For a public line, St. Bernard Parish shooters can drive 43 miles to Pearl River-Honey Island Shooting Range in St. Tammany Parish. Hours
Ranges from the LDWF shooting ranges page, ranges’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 4, 2026.
Sunrise, sunset and legal hours in St. Bernard Parish
Big game light near St. Bernard Parish begins 30 minutes before sunrise and ends 30 minutes after sunset; migratory birds end at sunset.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer and turkey | Ducks and doves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Area 9 archery opens | 6:49 a.m. | 6:44 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 7:14 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 6:44 p.m. |
| Nov 14, 2026 | West zone ducks open | 6:21 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 5:51 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 5:51 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Area 9 gun opens | 6:27 a.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | Bear lottery hunt opens | 6:38 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:08 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Area 9 dog season | 6:43 a.m. | 4:58 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | 6:13 a.m. to 4:58 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:48 a.m. | 5:01 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:01 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.
St. Bernard Parish, answered
When is bear season in St. Bernard Parish?
December 5 to 20, 2026, for lottery permit holders only.
Is St. Bernard Parish closed to turkey hunting?
Yes, all of it.
How many dove segments does St. Bernard Parish get?
Three per zone.
Is there a coastal duck zone for St. Bernard Parish?
No; Louisiana uses East and West only, and St. Bernard Parish is West.
How many gator tags does a St. Bernard Parish winner get?
Two hide tags per zone.
Is St. Bernard Parish in the CWD Management Zone?
No, not on the June 2, 2026 map.
Who is the LDWF Enforcement captain for St. Bernard Parish?
Tim Fox, Region 8 (New Orleans).
How many public hunting areas are in St. Bernard Parish?
1 area on our list.
Where does St. Bernard Parish rank for deer harvest?
Outside the top 20, so unranked.
How much hunter orange is required in St. Bernard Parish?
400 square inches of orange or blaze pink in firearm deer seasons; a cap is enough on private land.
Which LDWF deer area includes St. Bernard Parish?
Deer Area 9, the whole parish.
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.
St. Bernard Parish before opening day
Dates here are for 2026-27; LDWF publishes a new pamphlet every year.
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/Southeast (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Public Domain Mark 1.0).