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Deer Area 9
St. James Parish Hunting
From the first archery morning to spring gobblers, this St. James Parish guide gathers dates, deer limits, harvest tables, public tracts and the services closest to Convent.
Photo: Kim (CC BY 2.0)
Where St. James Parish sits
The Hammond field office handles LDWF wildlife work in St. James Parish, part of a district that spans 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. Census puts the 2024 population at 19,110, 5.4% down from the 2020 base of 20,195, and Convent serves as the parish seat.
By the Census gazetteer it holds 238 square miles of land plus 15 of open water (6% of the total). On its landward and water edges sit Ascension Parish, Assumption Parish, Lafourche Parish and St. John the Baptist 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.
Deer rules for St. James Parish
No boundary splits St. James Parish: the whole parish is Deer Area 9. 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 9 | Whole parish | 100% | 6 | 3 | 4 |
St. James Parish deer segments by area
| Deer Area | Archery | Muzzleloader | Still-hunt firearms | Dog season | Youth and vets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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 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 acres around St. James Parish
Roughly 32,487 acres of St. James Parish are public land open to hunting by the LDWF and federal layers (21.3% of the parish), led by LDWF WMA ground. Treat these acre counts as map measurements rather than the agencies' official totals.
| Owner or kind | Mapped acres |
|---|---|
| LDWF WMA ground | 32,487 |
Public hunting areas in St. James Parish
Maurepas Swamp WMA
Species: deer, waterfowl, small game, raccoon and squirrel. Maurepas Swamp WMA is mostly flooded cypress tupelo swamp. 2024 managed hunts: 44 deer.
St. James Parish neighbours with public ground
- Lake Boeuf WMA20 miles, WMA, Lafourche Parish
- Elm Hall WMA20 miles, WMA, Assumption Parish
- Bonnet Carre Spillway (Corps)22 miles, Corps of Engineers land, St. Charles 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.
What opens when around St. James Parish
Louisiana sets deer dates by Deer Area, and St. James Parish falls in Deer Area 9; each area has its own archery, primitive, still-hunt and dog segments. The 59 rows below come from the LDWF pamphlet.
| Game | Weapon or split | Area or zone | Opening | Closing | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 1 | Dec 5, 2026 | Dec 20, 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 | East zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Split 1 | East zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Ducks and coots | Split 2 | East zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Ducks and coots | Youth and veteran day | East zone | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 6, 2027 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Regular season | East zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Conservation Order | East zone | Dec 7, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Regular season | East zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Snow and blue geese | Conservation Order | East zone | Feb 8, 2027 | Mar 7, 2027 | |
| Specklebellies | Regular season | East zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Specklebellies | Regular season | East zone | Dec 19, 2026 | Feb 7, 2027 | |
| Canada geese | Regular season | East zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| Canada geese | Regular season | East 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.
St. James Parish in the LDWF harvest tables
Neither the 2022-23 nor the 2024-25 top-20 table includes St. James 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 9: 1,343 days and 42 deer.
St. James Parish WMA hunt results
| Managed hunt | Efforts | Deer taken | Bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurepas Swamp | 346 | 44 | 24 | 20 |
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 St. James Parish
Chronic wasting disease rules in St. James Parish
The June 2, 2026 zone map leaves St. James 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. No CWD-positive deer has been reported from St. James Parish; all 55 Louisiana detections are from Tensas, Catahoula, Concordia and Ouachita.
Black bear lottery in St. James Parish
Bear hunting in St. James Parish (Bear Area 1 (part) and Bear Area 7 (part)) is by lottery permit only, December 5-20, 2026; permits: Area 1: 8 permits (5 landowner, 3 general) and Area 7: 2 general permits. Where a Bear Area boundary crosses the parish, it runs along roads or waterways named by LDWF. 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.
St. James Parish alligator lottery zone
For the new recreational alligator lottery, St. James Parish belongs to Zone F (400 opportunities), shared with St. Mary, St. Martin, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne. 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 St. James Parish
Spring gobblers in St. James Parish
St. James Parish is one of the 16 parishes closed to turkey hunting in 2026-27; no Turkey Area covers it.
St. James Parish duck dates
The East Zone regular season comes in two splits, November 21 to December 6, 2026 and December 19, 2026 to January 31, 2027. Youths and veterans get November 14, 2026 and February 6, 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.
St. James Parish dove dates
South Zone dove segments run September 5 to September 20, 2026, October 17 to November 29, 2026 and December 12, 2026 to January 10, 2027, 15 birds 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. James Parish people and places to know
LDWF agents covering St. James Parish work out of Thibodaux in Region 6 under Captain Joey Thompson. About 18 miles separate the parish centre from the nearest LDWF office, Thibodaux Enforcement Office in Thibodaux.
St. James Parish towns with hunting guides
St. James Parish also includes:
- Gramercy2,719
- Grand Point
- Hester
- Moonshine
- North Vacherie
- Paulina
- Romeville
- South Vacherie
- St. James
- Union
- Welcome
Listed in St. James Parish: 1 gun or outdoor store. Not listed: deer processors, taxidermists and guides and preserves. We built the list from LDWF layers, Hunters for the Hungry and directory listings; ring before you go.
Processors, St. James Parish area
Taxidermy, St. James Parish area
Gun shops and stores, St. James 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. James Parish shooters: ranges and match dates
With nothing listed inside St. James Parish, here are the three nearest choices.
Of the 6 LDWF ranges, Waddill Outdoor Education Center Ranges is closest, about 35 miles from the St. James Parish centre. Full page
Ranges from the LDWF shooting ranges page, ranges’ own sites and directory listings, checked November 4, 2026.
Shooting hours for St. James Parish
LDWF prints no sunrise and sunset table, so these times for St. James Parish are worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
| Date | Opener or close | Sunrise | Sunset | Deer | Ducks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Area 9 archery opens | 6:55 a.m. | 6:50 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 7:20 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Area 9 gun opens | 6:33 a.m. | 5:06 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 5:36 p.m. | 6:03 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | Bear lottery hunt opens | 6:44 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:03 p.m. |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Area 9 dog season | 6:49 a.m. | 5:04 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:34 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 5:04 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:55 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. | 6:25 a.m. to 5:07 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. James Parish rules in brief
When does dove season open in St. James Parish?
South Zone September 5, 2026.
Does St. James Parish have CWD archery?
No, that segment is only for zone parts of Areas 1, 2 and 6.
How soon must a St. James Parish alligator be reported?
Within 72 hours.
What is the biggest public area in St. James Parish?
Maurepas Swamp WMA, 112,615 acres.
Who is the LDWF Enforcement captain for St. James Parish?
Joey Thompson, Region 6 (Thibodaux).
Can drones be used to recover deer in St. James Parish?
Yes on private land under the new rules; never on WMAs.
Has St. James Parish produced a record deer?
No top all-time entry lists it.
Which processor is nearest St. James Parish?
Vinnies Smokehouse.
What deer schedule applies in St. James Parish?
The Deer Area 9 schedule, on private land.
What is the season deer limit in St. James Parish?
6 in Area 9, with no more than 3 antlered or 4 antlerless.
Is turkey season open in St. James Parish?
No. It is one of 16 closed parishes.
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. James Parish reminders for 2026-27
Get permission before hunting private land in St. James 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: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain).