The whitetail deer is by far our most popular, widespread, and abundant big-game animal. More than 16 million hunters pursue them, and more than 20 million whitetails currently live in North America--perhaps more than have ever roamed this continent. You'd be hard pressed to pick a better time than now to be a whitetail deer hunter.

   You'd also be hard-pressed to pick a better quarry. The whitetail's genius for eluding hunters is legendary. Under ideal conditions, a whitetail can smell a hunter from 150 yards away. If it doesn't smell you, it'll probably hear you, and if you make the slightest of wrong moves, it will no doubt see you. When spooked, a whitetail can sprint up to 40 miles per hour, putting cover between you and it before you can gather your wits. More often, it simply slips away without a sound and without your ever knowing it was there. The whitetail is among the most challenging game animals you can hunt, and that--perhaps as much as its extraordinary numbers and distribution--accounts for the deer's tremendous popularity among hunters.

   Domesticated whitetails have been known to live for more than 20 years, but in the wild very few live half that long, and in populations that are hunted, relatively few survive past their 3rd or 4th year. A whitetail buck is considered fully mature at 5 years old.

   Part of the whitetail's success lies in its ability to eat an astounding variety of foods. There are more than 800 known plants species that the whitetail considers grub, and although a hunter certainly doesn't need to know all of them, a smart hunter will learn to recognize and look for a few of the whitetail's favorites, including acorns (particularly those of the white oak), apples, alfalfa, corn, clover, mushrooms, striped maple, pecans, persimmon, soybeans, sumac, and wild grape.

   The whitetail's breeding season, or rut, takes place in the fall, typically toward the beginning or middle of November and, in many areas, during the general deer hunting season. There is no better time to take a whitetail buck. During the rut, bucks feed little, bed less, and spend most of their time chasing does and challenging other bucks. They become highly active and therefore vulnerable.

Statistics & Physical Traits
  
North American Whitetail Record: Typical Antlers: 213-5/8 Boone and Crockett (B&C) points, taken by Milo N. Hanson in Biggar, Saskatchewan in November of 1993. Non-typical Antlers: 333-7/8 B&C points, picked up in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1981.

   The whitetail deer is the most commonly recognized game animal in North America; those who have not seen the deer themselves in the wild (or in their backyards) have probably seen the deer's image in outdoor paintings, magazine covers, calendars, decals, or lawn ornaments.

   One of the whitetail's most distinguishing features is its namesake--a large, pennant-shaped tail that flashes a white warning when the deer raises it in alarm. The whitetail's coat is reddish brown in summer and darker, grayish brown in winter, with a white underbelly and white patches at the throat, chin, nose, and eyes. It's antlers typically consist of two main beams that curve upward and forward, from which a varying number of tines grow more-or-less vertically.

   Throughout much of the year, including the hunting season, it's extremely easy to tell bucks from does. The former have antlers (or at least developing antlers); the latter do not. Fawns can sometimes present a problem here, but a close look will show that male fawns lacking obvious antlers do have pedicles (two small bumps between the ears) from which antlers will grow; female fawns do not.

Habitat and Distribution
   The vast majority of hunters in the US and Canada live within driving distance (and many within spitting distance) of whitetail deer habitat. From the big woods of Maine and Quebec, to Midwestern farmland and prairies, Southern bottomland swamps, Southwestern deserts, Texas scrub country, and suburban backyards, the whitetail thrives in a tremendous variety of habitats throughout most of North America, (except the Far North and parts west of and within the Rocky Mountains).

   Whitetails establish home ranges typically between 200 and 1,000 acres (depending on the quality of the habitat), which they are very reluctant to leave. Within that area, a deer must meet all its needs, primarily food, water, and cover.

   We've already covered whitetail foods, and you should keep them in mind when looking for good whitetail habitat. As for water, many whitetails get a sufficient supply from the foods they eat, but in arid habitat, a stream, pond, or water hole can be a key element. Cover is important wherever you hunt. Whether its a thick stand of young pines, a wooded draw, a cedar swamp, or even a brushy ditch or gully in open terrain, whitetails need cover to escape danger and to shelter themselves in bad weather.

   Most important, whitetails need edges. In the big woods, edges are found where lakes, ponds, streams, logging roads, and power lines create openings in the woods. In farm country, edges are found where crop fields meet woodlots and hedgerows. On the prairies, they're found where wooded draws and stream corridors break up the open terrain. No matter where you hunt, the best habitat will always have edges.

 Hunting Techniques Scouting

   One of the most important elements of whitetail deer hunting is done without a gun or bow. Successful hunters spend time before the season scouting their hunting area, learning the terrain and cover and looking for deer sign. Here are some things to look for while scouting : Feeding areas, such as crop fields, wild apple groves, or oak stands. Look for meandering tracks and evidence of feeding. Bedding areas, which are places where deer beds--oval deer-size depression--are found, usually in thicker cover. Escape cover, such as a cedar swamp or thick brush. Funnels, where the natural cover or terrain dictates deer movement. Deer trails, which are narrow runways cut through woods and brush and used by whitetails to travel from place to place, especially to and from feeding and bedding areas. Deer tracks, which are roughly heart-shaped with the pointed end pointing in the direction of travel. Deer droppings, which look remarkably like a pile of Raisinettes. Buck rubs, where a buck has used its antlers to scrape a patch of bark off one side of a tree or sapling. Buck scrapes, which show up as oval patches of bare dirt where a rutting buck has pawed away leaves and debris. Primary scrapes are found beneath overhanging branches; they usually show tracks and a wet or moist spot where the buck has rub-urinated; and they smell bad. Bucks frequently return to check and freshen primary scrapes during the rut.

Hunting Techniques
   If you've scouted your hunting area well, by the time the season starts you'll know the terrain and cover and understand how the deer use them--and you'll be ready to plan a successful hunt.

   There are several ways to put a deer in your gun or bow sights: You can let the deer come to you by stand hunting; you can go to the deer by still hunting or stalking; or you can make them go to you (or a friend) by staging a drive. Here's a closer look at each.

   Stand hunting involves putting yourself where deer are likely to go and waiting for them to show up. The best time to stand hunt is when deer are moving, including the hours around dusk and dawn when deer are traveling between feeding and bedding areas; anytime during the rut, when bucks are especially active; and during the first few days of gun season, when other hunters keep deer moving.

   One of the best places to stand hunt is near a well-used deer trail that leads between feeding and bedding areas. Hunt on a trail closer to a bedding area in the morning, and one closer to a feeding area in the evening. Put your stand near a trail that leads to escape cover when other hunters are apt to be spooking deer. Other good stand sites include places where two or more well-used trails intersect, as well as rub lines and scrapes during the rut.

   Still hunting means moving quietly through the woods in the hope of sneaking up on a deer. It's called still hunting because you should spend a good deal of time standing still. Move quietly a short ways, then stop. Scan the area carefully for deer, then use your binoculars to comb the area for the flick of an ear or tail, antlers amid the branches, or a deer's dark glassy eye.

   When you feel certain there are no deer in sight, quietly move a short ways to gain a new vista, and start over.

   The best times to still hunt are when you can move quietly through the woods, such as after a rain or light snow. Wear soft, quiet clothing and thin-soled boots that let you feel the ground beneath your feet. When you stop, do so in a place that offers some cover and preferably shade to help hide you. Always move into or quartering into the wind, and be ready for a quick shot.

   Spotting and Stalking involves using binoculars or a spotting scope to locate deer, then carefully moving into gun or bow range for the shot. This tactic is not terribly common among whitetail hunters because it works best in open terrain, where relatively few whitetails live. But in those areas of open terrain it can be successful. Moreover, when a still hunter locates distant deer, perhaps feeding off a hedgerow in a crop field, he becomes a stalker.

   The key to successful stalking is to plan your approach carefully. Use the wind and any available cover to your advantage. Plan out a final destination where you hope to take the shot, and make sure it offers enough cover to hide you.

    Driving deer can work almost anytime, but it's especially useful when deer won't budge from thick cover. When staging a drive, a group (or a pair) of hunters splits into two groups: drivers and posters. The drivers walk through holding cover, trying to push deer toward the posters, who sit still waiting to ambush driven deer.

   The key lies in choosing the right area to drive. First, you need patch of cover that holds deer, such as a daytime bedding area. Second, the area must not be too large for your group to effectively push. Third, the area should offers some predictability as to where the deer will go when driven.

   Drivers need to stay close enough together to keep deer from slipping through the gaps (the thicker the cover, the closer together they should be). Posters should sit downwind of drivers in an area (preferably elevated) that offers clear shooting lanes. For safety's sake, drives should be carefully planned; everyone should wear hunter-orange clothing and always be aware of each other's positions.

Hunting Gear
   In the big woods where shots are typically short, many rifle hunters prefer a light, quick-handling brush gun--often a pump, semi-auto, or lever--chambered for a short-range caliber, such as the .30/.30, .32, .35, or .45/70. In more open terrain, rifle hunters typically opt for bolt-action rifles chambered for longer-range calibers, such as the .25/06, .270, .280, 7mm/08, .308, or .30/06--all of which are also good all-purpose deer calibers. For the few hunters who commonly take very long shots, a bolt-action in .7mm mag. or .300 mag. is ideal.

   Shotgun hunters are best served shooting sabot slugs through a rifled barrel, which gives them reliable accuracy and power a little beyond 100 yards. With foster slugs through a smooth barrel, accuracy is iffy beyond 50 yards. Hunting deer with a bow or muzzleloader offers a sense of tradition, added challenge, and typically more days to hunt. Bow hunters choose from longbows, recurves, and compound bows. Black powder hunters choose from flintlocks, cap locks, and in-line muzzleloaders (be careful: in-lines are not legal in every state.)

 

2009-20010 Louisiana hunting dates CLICK HERE for more information on Louisiana hunting dates, license and hunter training regulations.

* LOUISIANA ALLIGATOR TROPHY HUNTING!

    American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) The American alligator is a member of the crocodile family. It can be differentiated from a crocodile by its wider snout and its bottom teeth which do not show when its jaw is closed. Alligators are found throughout the Southeast in wetlands from the Carolinas to Texas and as far north as Arkansas. They consume fish, turtles and snails as well as small animals that come to the water's edge to drink. Young alligators feed primarily on insects, crustaceans, snails, and fish. Alligators benefit the marsh ecosystem by digging holes that hold fresh water during the dry season for fish, insects, crustaceans, snakes, turtles, birds and other animals. Older males may live 30 years or more and reach lengths of 14 feet, and weights of 1,000 pounds. Thirty years ago alligators were depleted from many parts of their range by market hunting and loss of habitat. Many people believed this reptile could never recover. In 1967, this species was listed as an endangered species which prohibited alligator hunting. Their numbers were monitored and by 1987 the American alligator was considered fully recovered and was subsequently removed from the Endangered Species List. However, trade in alligator skins or derived products is still regulated since some related species -- such as crocodiles and caimans -- are still in trouble.

 

Louisiana Alligator Hunting Season one month only, September  Usual Dates: August 29 - September 30

 

BOW - PISTOL - RIFLE - BLACK POWDER - KNIFE

If you are interested in any of the packages but you would like to change some of the game in a package, contact us for a quotation. If possible we will change packages that will suite the client....Call toll free (337)515 - HUNT (4868) Charlie LeDoux ....Book 2009 - 20010 season Whitetail and Alligator hunts, call today for more information.....

 

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