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Louisiana Big Game Records Program and LDWF harvest reports

Louisiana Hunting Records and Harvest

The top listed entry in each of the 11 record categories, the 12 entry minimums, and the LDWF harvest figures: reported deer by season since 2008-09, the top-20 parish tables, WMA managed hunts, turkey tags validated since 2009 and the 2025-26 survey estimates for small game and waterfowl.

Hunting gear
194 3/8Top gun typical
281 6/8Top gun non-typical
143,527Deer reported, 2024-25
Jul 21, 2026Record list updated

Photo: Acorns Resort (CC BY 2.0)

Top entries in the Louisiana Big Game Records Program

Tensas Parish holds two of the categories, the gun and archery non-typicals, and the top gun typical came out of Catahoula Parish in 2024. LDWF updated the all-time list on July 21, 2026.

Louisiana Big Game Records Program: all-time records and 3-year recognition lists for white-tailed deer (firearm, archery, muzzleloader, crossbow; typical and non-typical), wild turkey and black bear. Net scores by Boone and Crockett or LDWF-certified measurers on official score sheets; no charge.

CategoryTop scoreParishYear
Gun, Typical194 3/8Catahoula Parish2024
Gun, Non-Typical281 6/8Tensas Parish1994
Archery, Typical175St. Mary Parish1981
Archery, Non-Typical227 6/8Tensas Parish2010
Muzzleloader, Typical170 3/8Concordia Parish2002
Muzzleloader, Non-Typical203 5/8Caddo Parish2007
Handgun, Typical145 7/8Morehouse Parish2013
Handgun, Non-Typical192 6/8West Feliciana Parish1991
Crossbow, Typical175 6/8Avoyelles Parish2012
Crossbow, Non-Typical275 5/8Richland Parish2020
Eastern Wild Turkey58.75Catahoula Parish2016

The all-time list names the hunter for each entry; this table keeps only the score, parish and year of the first entry in each category. The turkey figure is the program score LDWF prints for the top bird.

Sources: LDWF big game records page; all-time records list (July 2026). Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Minimum scores to enter

Entries are net scores taken by Boone and Crockett or LDWF-certified measurers on official score sheets, at no charge. Turkeys enter on spur length and bears on skull size, with lower bear minimums for archery, crossbow and muzzleloader kills.

CategoryRecognition minimumState record minimum
Firearm typical130160
Firearm non-typical165185
Archery typical90110
Archery non-typical100140
Muzzleloader typical110120
Muzzleloader non-typical130150
Crossbow typical110120
Crossbow non-typical130150
Wild turkey40 mm spur–
Black bear (firearm)20 inches skull–
Black bear (archery)18 inches–
Black bear (crossbow/muzzleloader)19 inches–

Sources: LDWF big game records page. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Reported deer harvest since mandatory reporting

Reporting became mandatory in 2008, and the 143,527 deer reported in 2024-25 was the second record season running. Public land and WMA hunts gave 16,452 of them that year.

Louisiana reported deer harvest by season050,000100,000150,000200,00008: 116,571 deer116,5710809: 107,455 deer107,4550910: 104,832 deer104,8321011: 76,378 deer76,3781112: 63,278 deer63,2781213: 68,988 deer68,9881314: 65,081 deer65,0811415: 73,174 deer73,1741516: 68,639 deer68,6391617: 86,779 deer86,7791718: 82,599 deer82,5991819: 83,696 deer83,6961920: 88,256 deer88,2562021: 102,756 deer102,7562122: 116,487 deer116,4872223: 136,163 deer136,1632324: 143,527 deer143,52724
SeasonPrivatePublicWMA managedDMAPTotal
2024-25112,76516,452with public14,310143,527
2023-24105,88216,245with public14,036136,163
2022-2389,58314,719with public12,185116,487
2021-2279,14511,471with public12,140102,756
2020-2165,15410,957with public12,14588,256
2019-2060,53710,9041,39010,86583,696
2018-1957,84310,3891,95212,62482,599 *
2017-1862,0218,4802,34413,74486,779 *
2016-1746,2376,9522,54413,09668,639 *
2015-1650,6347,8451,27913,41673,174
2014-1541,5636,7352,65514,12865,081
2013-1451,319–2,71314,95668,988
2012-1346,814–2,42514,03963,278
2011-1253,8605,5962,52614,39676,378
2010-1174,3469,7423,00417,740104,832
2009-1078,4449,0352,33517,641107,455
2008-0987,2378,4812,87717,976116,571

* For 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 the private, public, WMA and DMAP figures in the LDWF table do not add up to the printed total; both are shown as printed.

Sources: 2024-25 Louisiana deer report; 2022-23 Louisiana deer report. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Top 20 Louisiana deer parishes

Union Parish led the 2024-25 table with 6,686 deer, ahead of Vernon Parish and Bienville Parish. Measured by forest cover, Richland Parish needed the fewest forested acres for each deer taken.

RankParish, 2024-25DeerParish, 2022-23Deer
1Union Parish6,686Vernon Parish5,563
2Vernon Parish5,896Union Parish4,641
3Bienville Parish5,625Bienville Parish4,254
4Claiborne Parish5,552Natchitoches Parish4,052
5Winn Parish4,913Winn Parish4,044
6Natchitoches Parish4,775Claiborne Parish3,990
7Bossier Parish4,293Rapides Parish3,898
8Jackson Parish4,252Tensas Parish3,494
9Rapides Parish4,240Jackson Parish3,330
10Webster Parish4,138Catahoula Parish3,244
11Catahoula Parish3,659Bossier Parish3,089
12Tensas Parish3,527Sabine Parish2,973
13Sabine Parish3,504Beauregard Parish2,967
14Ouachita Parish3,468Webster Parish2,875
15Grant Parish3,420Grant Parish2,857
16LaSalle Parish3,152LaSalle Parish2,776
17Avoyelles Parish3,128Madison Parish2,647
18Beauregard Parish3,121Avoyelles Parish2,630
19Lincoln Parish3,118Ouachita Parish2,613
20St. Landry Parish3,030St. Landry Parish2,473

Fewest forested acres per deer, 2024-25

RankParishAcres per deer
1Richland Parish33
2Franklin Parish38
3East Carroll Parish39
4Tensas Parish48
5Catahoula Parish50
6St. Landry Parish55
7West Carroll Parish55
8Morehouse Parish60
9Madison Parish62
10Avoyelles Parish63

LDWF prints only these top-20 tables; no full parish table exists in the reports read, and the 2023-24 report link returns an error. Sources: 2024-25 Louisiana deer report; 2022-23 Louisiana deer report. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Deer and hogs in the 2025-26 harvest survey

The survey projects what licensed hunters took, reported or not: about 276,200 deer in 2025-26, most of them by still hunters with modern guns, and roughly 422,000 feral hogs.

2025-26 estimateHuntersHarvestDays afield
All methods226,200276,2005,569,300
Modern firearms212,400216,7003,893,900
Still hunting211,700213,6003,782,500
With dogs9,5003,100111,300
Bow and arrow61,60023,300776,900
Crossbow33,1007,900288,300
Primitive firearms108,20028,300610,200
Feral hogs78,000422,000498,100
56.3%Antlered share
41.3%Antlerless share
2.4%Button bucks
143,527 / 239,000Reported vs estimated, 2024-25

Statewide estimates from the Louisiana Big and Small Game Harvest Survey (email survey of licensed hunters including seniors, excl. youth; 95% CI). Deer Area figures are raw respondent totals (1,261 respondents), not expanded estimates. Sources: 2025-26 harvest survey; 2024-25 harvest survey; 2024-25 Louisiana deer report. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Spring gobblers by year

Hunters validated 4,024 turkeys in spring 2026, the highest count since tagging began in 2009, against a survey estimate near 8,300 birds.

Louisiana spring turkey tags validated01,2502,5003,7505,00009: 2,586 gobblers2,5860910: 2,221 gobblers2,2211011: 2,581 gobblers2,5811112: 2,043 gobblers2,0431213: 1,571 gobblers1,5711314: 1,693 gobblers1,6931415: 1,777 gobblers1,7771516: 1,750 gobblers1,7501617: 2,024 gobblers2,0241718: 1,989 gobblers1,9891819: 1,844 gobblers1,8441920: 2,117 gobblers2,1172021: 1,886 gobblers1,8862122: 2,846 gobblers2,8462223: 2,833 gobblers2,8332324: 3,695 gobblers3,6952425: 3,576 gobblers3,5762526: 4,024 gobblers4,02426
SpringSurvey estimateTags validated
20268,3004,024
20258,4003,576
20246,0003,695
20235,0002,833
20229,1002,846
20215,5001,886
20205,6002,117
20194,2001,844
20183,7001,989
20176,3002,024

Validated tags count only birds hunters reported; the survey estimate is projected from a sample of license holders. Parish turkey figures exist only as a 2026 map and are not shown here. Sources: 2026 wild turkey report. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

WMA deer hunts and the small game survey

LDWF managed hunts on WMAs took 1,768 deer in 2024 from 13,532 hunter efforts, about 7.7 trips per deer. The 2025-26 survey puts squirrels and doves well ahead of every other small game species.

WMA managed deer hunts, 2024

HuntEffortsDeerEfforts per deer
Richard K. Yancey1,3471976.8
Boeuf7591953.9
Fort Johnson-North1,1541368.5
Fort Johnson1,35511711.6
Esler Field406914.5
Loggy Bayou265902.9
Dewey Wills652758.7
Fort Johnson (Oct.)615758.2
Russell Sage600738.2
West Bay (Oct.)629709.0

Small game and waterfowl, 2025-26 survey

SpeciesHuntersHarvest95% range
Duck80,2002,180,900plus or minus 375,100
Squirrel59,700850,900plus or minus 164,000
Mourning Dove30,400574,000plus or minus 186,200
Goose15,200245,300plus or minus 190,400
Rabbit20,500139,600plus or minus 66,800
Coot5,70079,700plus or minus 48,100
Woodcock5,50066,600plus or minus 56,900
Coyote19,30045,700plus or minus 13,000
White-winged Dove5,50038,500plus or minus 28,100
Pen-raised Quail1,70034,000plus or minus 31,300
Raccoon4,80020,200plus or minus 13,700
Gallinule2,10020,000plus or minus 16,700
Eurasian Collared-Dove4,50018,800plus or minus 10,900
Snipe2,60015,900plus or minus 11,700
Wild Quail1,9007,400plus or minus 8,300
Bobcat6,4006,400plus or minus 2,400
Rails1,2002,900plus or minus 3,100

Sources: 2024-25 Louisiana deer report; 2025-26 harvest survey. Checked: numbers rechecked at the source November 4, 2026.

Where Louisiana records and harvest leads next

Louisiana records questions

How many deer were reported in Louisiana in 2024-25?

143,527, the second record season in a row; the harvest survey estimate for the same season was 239,000.

Which parish led Louisiana in deer harvest?

Union Parish, with 6,686 deer in the 2024-25 top-20 table; Vernon Parish led in 2022-23.

How many turkeys are killed in Louisiana each spring?

Hunters validated 4,024 tags in 2026; the survey estimate was about 8,300.

Is there a Louisiana bear harvest record yet?

No. Bear minimums exist in the records program, but no bear harvest table was published by the retrieval date because the first lottery season runs December 5 to 20, 2026.

How many feral hogs do Louisiana hunters take?

About 422,000 in 2025-26 by the LDWF survey estimate, from 78,000 hog hunters.

What is the Louisiana record typical whitetail?

The top gun typical on the LDWF all-time list scores 194 3/8, from Catahoula Parish in 2024.

What is the biggest non-typical buck on the Louisiana list?

281 6/8, a gun kill from Tensas Parish in 1994.

What score gets a buck into the Louisiana records?

130 for a firearm typical and 165 for a firearm non-typical earn recognition; the archery minimums are 90 typical and 100 non-typical.

Does it cost money to enter the Louisiana big game records?

No. Antlers are scored by a Boone and Crockett or LDWF-certified measurer on an official score sheet, and there is no fee.

From the LDWF pages themselves

Deer Area lines follow highways, rivers and bayous rather than parish lines, which is why a camp near a boundary road can sit in a different area from the town down the road; the LDWF Deer Area map settles it.

Other photos on this page: Russ (CC BY 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0); peterichman (CC BY 2.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).