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Deer seasons
Louisiana Deer Areas 1 to 10
Season limits, openers and parishes for the ten private-land Deer Areas, 2026-27.
Photo: Acorns Resort (CC BY 2.0)
The ten Louisiana Deer Areas compared
Louisiana sets private-land deer seasons by Deer Area; WMAs and federal lands keep their own schedules, and land outside an area designated open is closed. The daily limit everywhere is one antlered and one antlerless deer when antlerless deer are legal. Area 1 in the Mississippi Delta has the new season limit of six with no more than two antlered or five antlerless deer; Area 4 in the Florida Parishes allows four (two and two) and Area 10 on the southwest coast allows three (two and two). Every other area uses the standard six, with no more than three antlered or four antlerless. WMA deer count toward the area limit, and DMAP deer may not count, depending on the club's tier.
| Area | Season limit | Max antlered | Max antlerless | Whole parishes | Split parishes | Archery opens | Gun opens | Dog season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer Area 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | Oct 1 | Nov 21 | Yes |
| Deer Area 2 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 11 | Oct 1 | Oct 31 | Yes |
| Deer Area 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | Sep 19 | Oct 17 | Yes |
| Deer Area 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Oct 1 | Nov 21 | Yes |
| Deer Area 5 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | Oct 1 | Nov 21 | Yes |
| Deer Area 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | Oct 1 | Nov 21 | Yes |
| Deer Area 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | Sep 19 | Oct 17 | Yes |
| Deer Area 8 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | Sep 19 | Oct 17 | Yes |
| Deer Area 9 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 8 | Oct 1 | Nov 21 | Yes |
| Deer Area 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | Sep 19 | Oct 17 | No |
From the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, deer pages, the Deer Area schedules and the LDWF Deer Area map, checked November 4, 2026.
Find your Deer Area by parish
Where a parish sits in more than one area, the line between them follows a road, a river, a bayou or a levee printed in the pamphlet, not the parish border. The share column is the part of the parish that the LDWF GIS layer puts in each area; it helps you see how a split parish divides, but the printed road and river line is what counts on the ground. Near a line, open the LDWF Deer Area map before choosing which dates and limits to follow.
| Parish | Deer Area(s) | GIS share | Split? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia Parish | Area 3 (part), Area 10 (part) | 66%, 34% | Yes |
| Allen Parish | Area 3 (part), Area 2 (part) | 67%, 33% | Yes |
| Ascension Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| Assumption Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| Avoyelles Parish | Area 6 (part), Area 2 (part) | 99%, 1% | Yes |
| Beauregard Parish | Area 3 (part), Area 8 (part) | 62%, 38% | Yes |
| Bienville Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Bossier Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Caddo Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Calcasieu Parish | Area 10 (part), Area 8 (part), Area 3 (part) | 46%, 31%, 22% | Yes |
| Caldwell Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Cameron Parish | Area 10 | 100% | No |
| Catahoula Parish | Area 1 (part), Area 2 (part) | 78%, 22% | Yes |
| Claiborne Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Concordia Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| De Soto Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| East Baton Rouge Parish | Area 4 (part), Area 6 (part) | 88%, 12% | Yes |
| East Carroll Parish | Area 1 | 99% | No |
| East Feliciana Parish | Area 4 (part), Area 6 (part) | 98%, 2% | Yes |
| Evangeline Parish | Area 2 (part), Area 6 (part) | 96%, 4% | Yes |
| Franklin Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| Grant Parish | Area 2 (part), Area 1 (part) | 91%, 9% | Yes |
| Iberia Parish | Area 7 (part), Area 9 (part), Area 5 (part), Area 10 (part) | 66%, 20%, 11%, 4% | Yes |
| Iberville Parish | Area 9 (part), Area 6 (part), Area 5 (part) | 42%, 36%, 22% | Yes |
| Jackson Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Jefferson Parish | Area 9 | 86% | No |
| Jefferson Davis Parish | Area 3 (part), Area 10 (part), Area 2 (part) | 56%, 43%, 1% | Yes |
| LaSalle Parish | Area 2 (part), Area 1 (part) | 82%, 18% | Yes |
| Lafayette Parish | Area 10 (part), Area 3 (part), Area 6 (part), Area 9 (part) | 61%, 18%, 11%, 10% | Yes |
| Lafourche Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| Lincoln Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Livingston Parish | Area 9 (part), Area 4 (part) | 58%, 42% | Yes |
| Madison Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| Morehouse Parish | Area 1 (part), Area 2 (part) | 55%, 45% | Yes |
| Natchitoches Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Orleans Parish | Area 9 | 62% | No |
| Ouachita Parish | Area 2 (part), Area 1 (part) | 73%, 27% | Yes |
| Plaquemines Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| Pointe Coupee Parish | Area 6 | 100% | No |
| Rapides Parish | Area 2 (part), Area 1 (part), Area 6 (part), Area 3 (part) | 64%, 19%, 12%, 6% | Yes |
| Red River Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Richland Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| Sabine Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| St. Bernard Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| St. Charles Parish | Area 9 | 90% | No |
| St. Helena Parish | Area 4 | 100% | No |
| St. James Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| St. John the Baptist Parish | Area 9 | 70% | No |
| St. Landry Parish | Area 6 (part), Area 3 (part) | 75%, 25% | Yes |
| St. Martin Parish | Area 5 (part), Area 9 (part), Area 6 (part) | 50%, 34%, 16% | Yes |
| St. Mary Parish | Area 7 (part), Area 9 (part), Area 5 (part) | 72%, 21%, 7% | Yes |
| St. Tammany Parish | Area 4 (part), Area 9 (part) | 79%, 3% | Yes |
| Tangipahoa Parish | Area 4 (part), Area 9 (part) | 72%, 24% | Yes |
| Tensas Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| Terrebonne Parish | Area 9 | 100% | No |
| Union Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| Vermilion Parish | Area 10 | 100% | No |
| Vernon Parish | Area 3 (part), Area 2 (part) | 70%, 30% | Yes |
| Washington Parish | Area 4 | 100% | No |
| Webster Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
| West Baton Rouge Parish | Area 6 | 100% | No |
| West Carroll Parish | Area 1 | 100% | No |
| West Feliciana Parish | Area 6 | 100% | No |
| Winn Parish | Area 2 | 100% | No |
Parish lists from the 2026-2027 pamphlet area tables; shares from the LDWF DeerManagementAreas layer as stored in this site’s parish data; checked November 4, 2026.
Survey answers by Deer Area, 2025-26
The 2025-26 LDWF harvest survey asked hunters which Deer Area they hunted. These are raw respondent totals (858 deer and 17,182 days reported by respondents), not expanded estimates, so read them as each area's share of survey answers. Area 2, the northwest pine and hardwood hills, carries by far the largest share.
| Deer Area | Days hunted (respondents) | Deer (respondents) | Share of deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1 | 1,438 | 127 | 15% |
| Area 2 | 7,207 | 382 | 45% |
| Area 3 | 1,067 | 66 | 8% |
| Area 4 | 2,125 | 83 | 10% |
| Area 5 | 364 | 9 | 1% |
| Area 6 | 2,392 | 102 | 12% |
| Area 7 | 297 | 14 | 2% |
| Area 8 | 485 | 15 | 2% |
| Area 9 | 1,343 | 42 | 5% |
| Area 10 | 464 | 18 | 2% |
From the LDWF Big and Small Game Harvest Survey 2025-26, checked November 4, 2026.
Rules that apply in every Deer Area
Legal antlered deer: at least one visible antler of hardened bony material broken naturally through the skin, or (new for 2026-27) velvet-covered antlers 3 in. or longer. New for 2026-27: hunters 65+ and disabled veteran licensees or qualifying disabled hunters (R.S. 56:3000.H) join youth 17 and under in using any legal weapon during primitive firearms seasons. New for 2026-27: bucks-only (velvet legal) archery seasons on private land inside the CWD Management Zone in Deer Areas 1 (Sept 12-20), 2 (Aug 29-Sept 6) and 6 (Sept 12-20). Youth and honorably discharged veterans get their own private-land days: Youth and Honorably Discharged Veterans deer season (private land, either-sex): Areas 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9 Oct 31-Nov 6; Area 2 Oct 10-16; Areas 3, 7, 8 and 10 Sept 26-Oct 2, 2026. Adults may not carry a firearm; youths one firearm; veterans need OMV veteran license or DD-214 equivalent.
- Tags: Before moving a harvested deer or turkey, attach the carcass tag (or tag electronically), record date and parish, and validate within 72 hours by text-to-tag (225-267-9988), the LouisianaOutdoors.com web portal (also through LA Wallet) or phone 225-267-9998. Tags stay attached at camp and in transit to home or cold storage. Tags may not be shared; lost tags can be reprinted free online.
- Hunter orange: Anyone hunting any wildlife during the open firearms deer season and possessing buckshot, slugs, a primitive firearm or a centerfire firearm must display at least 400 sq. in. of hunter orange or blaze pink on the head, chest and/or back.
- Dogs: Deer may be hunted with dogs only in designated "with or without dogs" segments; archery and primitive seasons and still-hunt areas are dog-free. One leashed/GPS-collared tracking dog may trail wounded deer on private land. Coyote running with dogs banned in turkey areas during turkey season.
- DMAP: Deer Management Assistance Program (LAC 76:V.111): DMAP tags required on enrolled land; antlerless deer may be taken any day of the area season with a DMAP tag; DMAP deer may not count toward personal limits depending on tier.
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 25, 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 14, 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 28, 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 24 and 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 26, checked November 4, 2026.
White-tailed doe wading in a green pond edge. Photo: Seney Natural History Association (CC BY-SA 2.0)
White-tailed buck at the edge of autumn woods beside a pond. Photo: jeffreyw (CC BY 2.0)
White-tailed doe drinking in flooded woods. Photo: Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0)
Louisiana Deer Areas 1 to 10, asked and answered
How many Deer Areas does Louisiana have?
Ten. Each has its own archery, primitive firearms, still-hunt and dog segments, and some have their own season limits.
Where are the full Deer Area rows?
Each area page lists every segment; the season list holds all 81 deer rows.
What changed in Deer Area 1 for 2026-27?
Daily 1 antlered and 1 antlerless (when legal). Season 6, not to exceed 2 antlered or 5 antlerless (new for 2026-27). CWD zone archery for bucks only also opens September 12 to 20 inside the CWD Management Zone.
Which Deer Area has the lowest limit?
Deer Area 10 (Cameron, Vermilion and parts of Acadia, Calcasieu, Iberia, Jefferson Davis and Lafayette): Daily 1 antlered and 1 antlerless (when legal). Season 3, not to exceed 2 antlered or 2 antlerless.
What if my lease is split by a Deer Area line?
Follow the dates of the area the stand sits in. The lines run along named roads, rivers and bayous; the LDWF Deer Area map shows them.
Do WMAs follow the Deer Area dates?
No. WMAs and federal lands run their own schedules from the pamphlet; see the WMA schedules page. WMA deer still count toward the area limit.
How do I validate a deer?
Before moving a harvested deer or turkey, attach the carcass tag (or tag electronically), record date and parish, and validate within 72 hours by text-to-tag (225-267-9988), the LouisianaOutdoors.com web portal (also through LA Wallet) or phone 225-267-9998. Tags stay attached at camp and in transit to home or cold storage. Tags may not be shared; lost tags can be reprinted free online.
Is there a dog season in every area?
No. Area 10 have no “with or without dogs” segment, and parts of other areas are still hunt only.
Other photos on this page: Seney Natural History Association (CC BY-SA 2.0); jeffreyw (CC BY 2.0); Jim, the Photographer (CC BY 2.0).