Furbearers
Bobcat in Louisiana: 2026-27 trapping, hunting and limits
Open all year; limits, harvest, licenses and places to hunt bobcats.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CC BY 2.0)
The 2026-27 picture for bobcats
There is no closed season for bobcats in Louisiana: LDWF dates the bobcat rows July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, the whole license year. How many: hunting: one per calendar year. In the data: 2025-26 survey: 6,400 bobcats.
- Season outline (bobcat): Experimental year-round hunting season with deer-legal gear in daylight; trapping Nov 20-Mar 31.
- Allowed (bobcat): Hunting: one per calendar year.
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 29, 2026-2027 Louisiana trapping regulations and LDWF Big and Small Game Harvest Survey 2025-26, checked November 4, 2026.
GearHeading out for a hunt? Hunting gear checklists by season →
Bobcat across the parishes
Bobcats share the furbearer calendar statewide, with WMA exceptions in the trapping table.
Under La. R.S. 56:114, a parish governing authority may, with the secretary's consent, close or curtail open seasons for up to one year by ordinance.
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 29 and Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 56, checked November 4, 2026.
Bobcat calendar statewide
The bobcat calendar holds 2 lines; zone links lead to the pages where dates change by area.
| Season | Where | Opens | Closes | Days | Today | Bag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year-round hunting | Statewide | Jul 1, 2026 | Jun 30, 2027 | Year-round | One per calendar year. | |
| Trapping | Statewide | Nov 20, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | 132 | No limit stated. |
Footnotes for bobcats
- Bobcat note: applies to private land, state WMAs, Kisatchie NF and three Corps tracts (not state or federal refuges); on WMAs/Kisatchie only during seasons requiring that gear.
- Bobcat note: pelts may not be sold without a trapping license.
- Bobcat note: licensed trappers may also take bobcat in trapping season.
- Bobcat note: WMA trapping seasons differ (see the WMA table in the trapping regulations).
From 2026-2027 Louisiana trapping regulations and 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 29, checked November 4, 2026.
Bobcat numbers by parish and year
The bobcat figures are survey estimates, not counts, and the wide ranges reflect small samples.
| Survey row | Hunters | Harvest 2025-26 | 95% range | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobcat | 6,400 | 6,400 | 4,000 to 8,800 | 4,500 |
From LDWF Big and Small Game Harvest Survey 2025-26, checked November 4, 2026.
Bobcat: limit rows
What one hunter may take and keep of bobcats, row by row, from the 2026-27 rules.
| Limit for | Limit text |
|---|---|
| Bobcat (hunting) | One per calendar year. |
| Trapping | No limit stated. |
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 29, checked November 4, 2026.
Paying to hunt bobcats in Louisiana
Anyone born on or after Sept 1, 1969 must complete an LDWF-approved hunter education course before hunting, unless under direct supervision (voice and sight) of a licensed hunter born before Sept 1, 1969 or an 18+ adult with proof of hunter education.
| License | Buyer | Cost | Term | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Hunting | Resident | $20 | 365 days from purchase | – |
| Basic Hunting | Nonresident | $200 | 365 days from purchase | – |
| Basic Hunting | Native nonresident, 10 days | $20 | 10 consecutive days | – |
| Basic Hunting | Nonresident, 5 days | $65 | 5 days | – |
| Trapper | Resident | $40 (fee list: $25) | Through June 30 | – |
| Trapper | Nonresident | $160 (fee list: $200) | Through June 30 | – |
| Youth Hunt and Trap | Resident | $5 | Through June 30 | – |
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 8, LDWF hunting licenses page and LDWF fee list, checked November 4, 2026.
Bobcat: public land
Pick from 1 public areas with bobcats; each land page has maps, contacts and area rules.
| Area | Land type | In | Acres | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou Cocodrie NWR | Refuge | Concordia | 15,211 | – |
From this site’s public land records (LDWF area pages, the 2026-27 WMA schedules and federal rules), checked November 4, 2026.
Methods that apply to bobcat hunting
| Weapon rule | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Deer modern firearms | Bobcat: Centerfire .22 cal+, rimfire .30 cal+, shotguns with buckshot or slug, handguns, pre-charged pneumatic devices (.30 cal+, 150 gr+, 800 fps or 215 ft-lb). | Not for bobcat: smaller calibers or bird shot; night-vision or laser/IR sights. |
| Trapping | Bobcat: Traps and snares; nutria by rifle sunrise-sunset for licensed trappers; firearms to dispatch. | Not for bobcat: traps with teeth (Title 56, section 121.1); traps set more than one day before the season or left after it. |
- Hunter orange/blaze pink (bobcat): 400 square inches during open firearms deer seasons for anyone hunting with buckshot, slugs, primitive or centerfire firearms (class one violation).
- Night-vision, laser and IR sights (bobcat): Prohibited for game, except private-land nighttime take of outlaw quadrupeds, nutria and beaver and permitted visually impaired hunters.
Moving vehicles and aircraft are off limits for taking bobcats.
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 25, 2026-2027 Louisiana trapping regulations, 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 26 and 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 30, checked November 4, 2026.
Rules in the field for bobcats
- Bobcat: reporting: Bobcats need no harvest report in Louisiana; the only paperwork on WMAs is the Self-Clearing Permit.
- Hunter education: Anyone born on or after Sept 1, 1969 must complete an LDWF-approved hunter education course before hunting, unless under direct supervision (voice and sight) of a licensed hunter born before Sept 1, 1969 or an 18+ adult with proof of hunter education.
From 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 26, 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 24 and 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations, PDF p. 12, checked November 4, 2026.
Bobcat legal light by parish
Each row applies the LDWF hour rule for bobcats to sunrise and sunset at a parish centre, in Central Time.
Rule that sets bobcat hours: one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
| Date | Point | Parish | Sunrise | Sunset | Legal window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Caddo Parish | 7:13 a.m. | 5:14 p.m. | 6:43 a.m. to 5:44 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Ouachita Parish | 7:06 a.m. | 5:07 p.m. | 6:36 a.m. to 5:37 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Rapides Parish | 7:04 a.m. | 5:12 p.m. | 6:34 a.m. to 5:42 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | Calcasieu Parish | 7:05 a.m. | 5:17 p.m. | 6:35 a.m. to 5:47 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | St. Tammany Parish | 6:52 a.m. | 5:03 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 5:33 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Caddo Parish | 6:08 a.m. | 8:26 p.m. | 5:38 a.m. to 8:56 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Ouachita Parish | 6:01 a.m. | 8:19 p.m. | 5:31 a.m. to 8:49 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Rapides Parish | 6:06 a.m. | 8:17 p.m. | 5:36 a.m. to 8:47 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | Calcasieu Parish | 6:12 a.m. | 8:18 p.m. | 5:42 a.m. to 8:48 p.m. |
| Jun 21, 2027 | Longest day | St. Tammany Parish | 5:58 a.m. | 8:05 p.m. | 5:28 a.m. to 8:35 p.m. |
Rules from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting & WMA Regulations and La. R.S. 56:116.1; sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula (Central Time); checked November 4, 2026. Legal hours for all 64 parishes.
Cypress knees and moss-draped trees reflected in still swamp water. Photo: Tim Wilson (CC BY 2.0)
Aerial view of the Intracoastal Waterway cutting through the Atchafalaya Basin swamp. Photo: Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University (CC BY 2.0)
Wide buttressed trunks of bald cypress in a duckweed swamp. Photo: Megan Romer (CC BY 2.0)
Common questions on bobcats
How are bobcats tagged or reported in Louisiana?
Bobcats need no harvest report in Louisiana; the only paperwork on WMAs is the Self-Clearing Permit.
What time does bobcat hunting end?
For bobcats, legal hours run one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. For example, East Baton Rouge Parish sees sunrise at 6:57 a.m. and sunset at 5:07 p.m. on December 21, 2026, worked out with the NOAA solar formula.
Is there a trapping season for bobcats?
Dates for trapping bobcats: November 20, 2026 to March 31, 2027; Traps and snares only (no toothed traps; check daily; set no earlier than one day before opening); nutria also by rifle sunrise-sunset by licensed trappers.
Is Sunday open for bobcats?
Bobcats may be hunted on Sundays in season; check the WMA schedule, since some public areas hunt only on listed days.
What is the Louisiana bobcat harvest?
Bobcat 2025-26: about 6,400 taken by 6,400 hunters (survey estimate, 95% interval plus or minus 2,400).
Do I need a trapper license for bobcats?
Trapping bobcats needs a trapper license, priced $40, $5 and $160 in the trapping regulations; LDWF’s fee list shows $25, $5 and $200.
What bag limit applies to bobcats?
One per calendar year.
How long is the bobcat season in Louisiana?
Year-round, within the method and hour rules.
Which guns and bows may be used on bobcats?
Deer modern firearms rules for bobcats: Centerfire .22 cal+, rimfire .30 cal+, shotguns with buckshot or slug, handguns, pre-charged pneumatic devices (.30 cal+, 150 gr+, 800 fps or 215 ft-lb). Trapping rules for bobcats: Traps and snares; nutria by rifle sunrise-sunset for licensed trappers; firearms to dispatch.
Do nonresidents need a special license for bobcats?
Licenses for bobcats: Basic Hunting $20 resident, $200 nonresident; Trapper $40 (fee list: $25) (resident); Youth Hunt and Trap $5 (resident). Hunting licenses for bobcats run 365 days from purchase; trapping licenses end June 30.
What public areas list bobcats?
1 public areas in this guide list bobcats, the largest being Bayou Cocodrie NWR. Area rules come from the 2026-27 pamphlet.
Other photos on this page: Tim Wilson (CC BY 2.0); Louisiana Sea Grant College Program Louisiana State University (CC BY 2.0); Megan Romer (CC BY 2.0).