Laws for hunting bobcats in Louisiana


Will you be hunting bobcats in Louisiana this year? This article covers many of the fundamental laws you will need to know to get started. It also provides information such as seasons, harvest limits, and required permits for bobcat hunting in Louisiana. It is not a legal document and is not intended to cover all hunting laws and regulations.

Laws for hunting bobcats in Louisiana.
The laws for hunting bobcats in Louisiana.

There is an experimental year-round bobcat season in Louisiana with a bag limit of 1 per calendar year. A Basic hunting license is required. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

Please check Wildlife Management Area and Federal Land schedules for specific regulations and dates on those areas.

Purchase a Louisiana hunting license here.

Check out the Louisiana hunting seasons

If this is your first time hunting bobcats, please give these two articles a read.

How to read and age bobcat sign.

Three vital tips for a successful bobcat hunt.

Related: You can also hunt coyotes in this state. Learn the rules for hunting coyotes in Louisiana.

General laws for hunting bobcats in Louisiana.

Suppressors. Legal with the following exceptions:

Any person who has been convicted of a class four or greater hunting violation for a period of five years after the date of such conviction shall not use a firearm fitted with a sound suppressor.

Night hunting. You can only take certain furbearers with a night vision scope during nighttime hunting in Louisiana. These include Outlaw quadrupeds such as feral hogs, coyotes, and armadillos.

This does not include foxes or bobcats. So, unless the moon is bright, or you are hunting on snow—night hunting has little chance of success.

Additionally, no person shall be allowed to participate or be present during nighttime hunting activities if convicted of a class three or greater wildlife violation within the previous five years or if he has any other prohibition which would prevent the legal use of a firearm or participation in a hunting activity.

Electronic callers are legal.

Read this article and watch the video to learn how to use a closed reed rabbit squealer.

You can check Amazon for electronic predator caller prices here.

Decoys are legal. You can read about some highly effective but inexpensive ($20) coyotes decoys here.

Prohibited activities when hunting bobcats in Louisiana.

Import, sell, use or possess scents or lures that contain natural deer urine or other bodily fluids, except natural deer urine products produced by manufacturers or entities that are actively enrolled and participating in the Responsible Hunting Scent Association or the Archery Trade Association Deer Protection Program, which has been tested using real-time quaking induced conversion (RT- QuIC) and certified that no detectable levels of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) are present and is clearly labeled as such.

Take of quadrupeds and resident game birds with a firearm fitted with infrared sight, laser sight or EXCEPT as provided in R.S. 56:116 (A) (8) any sighting device which projects a beam of light to the target or otherwise electronically illuminates the target, or device specifically designed to enhance vision at night [R.S. 56:116.1(B)(3)(a-b)].

Intentionally feeding, depositing, placing, distributing, exposing, scattering, or causing to be fed, deposited, placed, distributed, exposed, or scattered, raw sweet potatoes to wild game quadrupeds.

Use of shotguns larger than a 10 gauge or capable of holding more than three shells.

Possession of shotguns in which the plug may be removed without disassembly.

Take of game quadrupeds or birds from aircraft.

Hunting or take of squirrel or rabbit with a breech-loaded rifle or handgun larger than .22 caliber, any centerfire rifle, or a muzzle-loading firearm larger than .36 caliber.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr.

Dennis V. Gilmore Jr. is a former Marine Sergeant and the author of several books, including two on night hunting coyotes and red and gray fox. He has written several hundred articles on predator hunting for ThePredatorHunter.com.

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