Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge: hunting and access

How Big Branch Marsh NWR regulates hunting

50 CFR 32.37(e) is the legal text for Big Branch Marsh NWR: the conditions below are quoted from it.

Migratory game bird hunting

We allow hunting of duck, merganser, teal, coot, light and dark goose, snipe, rail, gallinule, dove, and woodcock on designated areas of the refuge subject to the following conditions:

• Each person age 18 and older must possess and carry a valid, signed refuge user brochure while on the refuge.
• We allow waterfowl, snipe, rail, gallinule, dove, and goose hunting on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1/2 hour before legal sunrise until 2 p.m. This includes waterfowl hunting during the State teal season and State youth and veteran waterfowl seasons. We only allow hunting of woodcock until 2 p.m.
• We allow light goose hunting for that part of the season that extends beyond the regular duck season from 1/2 hour before legal sunrise until 2 p.m.
• We allow only temporary blinds, and hunters must remove blinds and decoys by 2 p.m. each day (see § 27.93 of this chapter).
• All youth hunters age 15 and younger must be supervised by an adult during all hunts. One adult may supervise up to two youths during small game hunts and migratory bird hunts but may supervise only one youth during big game hunts. The supervising adult must maintain visual and voice contact with the youth at all times. Adult guardians are responsible for ensuring that youth hunters do not violate refuge rules.
• We prohibit hunting or discharge of firearms (see § 27.42 of this chapter) within 500 feet (152 meters (m)) of any residence adjacent to the refuge or oil and gas infrastructure on the refuge, or within 200 feet (61 m) from the center of any road, railroad, levee, water control structure, power lines, designated public use trail, building, designated camping area, designated parking area, or other designated public facility.
• We allow migratory bird hunters to enter the refuge no earlier than 4 a.m., and all hunters must exit the refuge no later than 2 hours after legal sunset.

Upland game hunting

We allow hunting of squirrel, rabbit, and quail, and the incidental take of nutria, coyote, raccoon, armadillo, and opossum, on designated areas of the refuge subject to the following conditions:

• When hunting, you must possess only shot size 4 or smaller, or .22 caliber rim-fire rifles or smaller. We allow the use of air rifles.
• When hunting squirrel and rabbit, and for the incidental take of raccoon, we allow the use of dogs only after the close of the State archery deer season. When hunting quail, you may only use dogs to locate, point, and retrieve.
• During the dog season for squirrel and rabbit, all hunters, including archers (while on the ground), except waterfowl hunters, must wear a minimum of a cap or hat that is hunter orange, blaze pink, or other such color as governed by State regulations.
• We only allow hunting of quail until 2 p.m.

Big game hunting

We allow hunting of white-tailed deer, and the incidental take of feral hog, on designated areas of the refuge subject to the following conditions:

• We are open only during the State season for archery deer hunting.
• We prohibit deer drives. We define a deer drive as an organized or planned effort to pursue, drive, chase, or otherwise frighten or cause deer to move in the direction of any person who is part of the organized or planned hunt and known to be waiting for the deer.
• We allow placement of temporary deer stands no earlier than 48 hours prior to the start of deer archery season. Hunters must remove all deer stands within 48 hours after the archery deer season closes (see § 27.93 of this chapter). We allow only one deer stand per hunter on the refuge. Deer stands must have the owner's State license/sportsmen's identification number clearly printed on the stand. We prohibit hunting stands on trees painted with white bands.
• Deer hunters must display State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) hunter-orange or blaze-pink (as governed by State WMA regulations) while on the ground.
• We prohibit the use of deer decoys.

From eCFR 50 CFR 32.37 and the refuge hunting page; text truncated where the record stops; checked November 4, 2026.

Shooting hours for Big Branch Marsh NWR

On wildlife management areas and other public land, waterfowl hunting ends at noon this season (Atchafalaya Delta and Pass-a-Loutre excepted).

WMA waterfowl ends at noon.

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.

Close to Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, on the calendar

This ground, or a spot within about 10 miles, holds 2 dates still ahead (hunter education course). Checked November 3, 2026.

Coming soon

Chapter banquet coming up close to here? List it

Big Branch Marsh NWR: last-minute checks

Confirm dates, permits and the Deer Area limit for Big Branch Marsh NWR before you load the truck.

Sources: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4 · source 5 · source 6; seasons from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations. Checked November 4, 2026.