Public land and parish rules near Ball, Louisiana

Parish rules around Ball

Season caps show antlered and antlerless in brackets; Turkey says Closed where LDWF lists no Turkey Area.

Rapides Parish is split among Deer Areas (Area 2 about 64%, Area 1 about 19%, Area 6 about 12%, Area 3 about 6% of the parish by GIS), along roads and rivers rather than the parish line. (Deer Area 2, Deer Area 1, Deer Area 6, Deer Area 3; LDWF Deer Area map.) Deer Area 2 opens to still-hunt gun hunters on October 31, 2026, after a bow season that began October 1, 2026. The youth and veteran deer segment in Deer Area 2 is October 10 to October 16. Season limits by area: Area 2: 6 deer, no more than 3 antlered or 4 antlerless; Area 1: 6 deer, no more than 2 antlered or 5 antlerless; Area 6: 6 deer, no more than 3 antlered or 4 antlerless; Area 3: 6 deer, no more than 3 antlered or 4 antlerless; the daily limit is one antlered and one antlerless deer. Deer Area 2 opens a CWD Management Zone archery hunt from August 29 to September 6. Gobbler hunting in Rapides Parish: Turkey Area A (part), Area A April 3 to May 2, and no hunting within 200 yards of bait. Rapides Parish belongs to Bear Area 6, with Area 6: 2 general permits. (Bear Area 6) The West and East duck zone covers Rapides Parish in part; split dates are West zone November 14 to December 6 and December 19 to January 24; East zone November 21 to December 6 and December 19 to January 31. For mourning doves, Rapides Parish uses the North zone (North: September 5-27, October 10-November 15, December 19-January 17). For the gator lottery, Rapides Parish counts as Recreational Zone C.

Deer Areas, limits and dates from the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations (LDWF map); GIS shares from the LDWF DeerManagementAreas layer; turkey from LDWF, bear from LDWF, ducks and doves from LDWF, CWD from LDWF, alligator zones from LDWF. Checked November 4, 2026.

Ball close-up on Camp Beauregard WMA

Closest state-managed ground with a full schedule: Camp Beauregard WMA, 4.3 miles from town. LDWF describes it this way: "The Louisiana National Guard uses Camp Beauregard WMA as a training facility and manages the area’s timber for commercial production." The hunting section reads: "Game species available for hunting include squirrel, turkey, deer, rabbit, quail, dove, wood duck, and woodcock." For a sense of the deer, the 2024 managed hunts there returned 91 deer from 406 hunter efforts. For dove hunters, Camp Beauregard WMA lists • 20-acre field of brown-top millet. (ATV/UTV access from Mayhaw Road); • Various clear cuts have a good goat weed (croton) response, expect good dove shooting in these areas. Some hunts on Camp Beauregard WMA are by lottery only, applied for on LouisianaOutdoors.com. From the area rules: "AREA CLOSED: Nov."

From the LDWF area page and the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations; managed-hunt deer from the LDWF deer report 2024-25. Checked November 4, 2026.

Ball deer processors, taxidermists and shops

These are the businesses Ball hunters lean on each season, by trade and then by distance. To give venison to food banks, Guillory's Specialty Meats (5.8 mi) is a Hunters for the Hungry processor. Mounts: Stickells Taxidermists in Alexandria is the nearest taxidermy listing, 23 mi off. Short on shells? Superior Outdoor Innovations in Ball is in town. Processing options within 35 miles of Ball number 7.

Processing shops

Mount makers

Outdoor stores

Preserves

Processors from the LDWF deer processor and Hunters for the Hungry map layers, the Hunters for the Hungry list and Yellow Pages; preserves from the LDWF preserve list and Yellow Pages; taxidermists and shops from Yellow Pages and store locators (services.json). Listings without coordinates are placed at their town. Checked November 4, 2026; hours were not checked.

Events around Ball

Some 30 miles around Ball take in 6 dates still ahead; the kinds are LDWF youth lottery, Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt and hunter education course. LDWF lottery rows (2) admit drawn applicants alone.

Upcoming

Chapter banquet coming up close to here? List it

Ball: LDWF office and enforcement

The Pineville office is the LDWF location closest to Ball, 4.4 miles off. Rapides Parish belongs to the LDWF Pineville field office area; the office phone is (318) 487-5885. Enforcement agents in Rapides Parish work in LDWF Enforcement Region 3, led by Captain John Volentine at the Pineville office, (318) 487-5634.

Offices and field office parish lists from the LDWF Contact Us page, enforcement regions and captains from LDWF local law enforcement contacts (counties.json, services.json). Checked November 4, 2026.

Ball, answered

Answers from places.json, lands.json, counties.json, services.json and the 2026-2027 Louisiana Hunting and WMA Regulations; tagging from LDWF, hunter orange from LDWF, baiting from LDWF, WMA permits from the LDWF license list, CWD from LDWF. Checked November 4, 2026.

Leaving Ball to hunt

Orange or pink during firearm deer dates, a tag on the animal before it moves and validation within 72 hours keep a Louisiana deer hunt legal.