Some important dates are coming up for outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen as the calendar turns from January to February.

Acadiana’s competitive bass anglers are reminded the year’s first two major local tournaments are in February. The Louisiana Bass Cats Open is schedule to be held Feb. 19 while the Legends on the Lake is scheduled for Feb. 25.

Both of those tournaments will be held out of Marsh Field Boat Landing at Lake Fausse Pointe.

Max Stevens of Lafayette, in his first year as president of the Louisiana Bass Cats, recently said the entry fee per boat is $100, plus an optional $10 fee for the big bass pot. The defending champions are Mike O’Brien and Mike Sinitiere, both of New Iberia.

Tournament hours are from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information on the 17th annual Louisiana Bass Cats Open, call Stevens at 281-5018.

Jarade Schexnayder, a spokesman for the Atchafalaya Hawg Hunters, which plays host to the Legends on the Lake tournament, said the entry fee is $65 for AHH members is $65 and for non-members it’s $75.

The Legends on the Lake tournament starts at safe daylight and ends at 3 p.m., he said.

For more information on the Legends event call Schexnayder at 501-3539.

Also, a spokesman for the Jeanerette Junior Hunter Education Club announced in a prepared statement this past week that its annual registration period includes two dates. Enrollment in the program for young outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen was Saturday and will be held again this coming Saturday, Feb. 4, according to Steve Johnson of New Iberia.

Johnson said registration starts 8 a.m. and ends at noon at the 8th Ward Civic Center on the Hubertville Road near Jeanerette.

JJHEC is a nonprofit organization for boys and girls 10 to 18 who want to learn and develop skills in archery, shotgun, muzzleloader, .22-caliber rifle, orienteering, wildlife ID and hunter safety. It is associated with the National Rifle Association and the Louisiana Hunter Education Association within the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

JJHEC members compete against other young outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen in the Louisiana State Youth Hunter Education Challenge in Pollack near Alexandria. The Top 15 advance to the Central Regional YHEC National Challenge in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The annual membership fee is $50. Each member must provide his or her own shotgun, .22-caliber rifle and muzzleloader, bow and arrows, compass and eye and ear protection.

For more information on how to join JJHEC, call Johnson at 257-6889.

Farther down the road, the popular Jackie Savoy Memorial Big Bass Classic, which is unique to this region, is scheduled for April 22. Entry fee is $150.

For more information call Tee Roy Savoy at 519-3107.

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.