La. turkey harvest shows 3,576 in ’25; state’s first snapper week nets 60,054 lbs.
Published 11:15 am Tuesday, May 27, 2025
- A state biologist reports 3,576 turkeys were harvested in Spring 2025, the second-most since Spring 2024. According to Cody Cedatol, starting the season later in the spring has given the state's growing turkey population more time in its breeding cycle. Claiborne Parish gave up 266 turkeys this season, most in the Sportsman's Paradise. THE DAILY IBERIAN FILES
Louisiana’s growing wild turkey population is a long way from making the state a prime turkey hunting destination or even being mentioned in the same breath as Texas, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri and five other states in the Top 10.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Small Game / Turkey Program Manager, Cody Cedotal, has good reason to be optimistic for the future of turkeys in the Sportsman’s Paradise. The recent 2025 turkey hunting season harvest results encouraged the dedicated game biologist.
“This year is the fourth year of elevated reported turkey harvest. Reported harvest of adult males in 2025 exceeded that of 2024 by 204 birds. This four-year pattern clearly indicates increased turkey populations in many areas of the state and provides additional evidence that the season change is working,” Cedatol said in a prepared statement released May 20.
He was referring to a move by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, acting on the recommendations of LDWF biologists, to delay the start of turkey season to aid in reproduction in an effort to increase and sustain turkey populations across Louisiana. Apparently, it’s paying off.
Hunters harvested 3,576 turkeys this past season, second only to 2024 (3,695) since harvest reporting was mandated in 2009. The 2025 season also is the first in which the harvest of juvenile male turkeys, or jakes, was limited to a bag limit of one for youth hunters only.
“Many hunters again indicated increased encounters with jakes, which is an indicator of good reproduction in some areas of the state. Season assessments received from hunters ranged from poor to very good,” Cedotal said.
“Weather conditions were somewhat wet in April and very wet thus far in May in many parts of the state. Hopefully, a drier trend will prevail throughout the remainder of May and into June to improve nesting and brood rearing conditions.”
Like Spring 2024, the season got underway with above average harvest rates during youth weekend and the first two weeks of the regular season despite inclement weather. Harvests the past two weeks were slightly below last year’s results for the same time frame.
North Louisiana parishes and Florida parishes led the way for the number of turkeys harvested this past season in the Sportsman’s Paradise, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
news@wlf.la.gov
The highest number of turkeys taken in the state was 266 in Claiborne Parish, the hotspot for 2025. Vernon Parish ranked second with 204 gobblers harvested.
Across the Acadiana region, Beauregard Parish led the way with 91 turkeys, followed by neighboring Allen Parish’s 60. Other top turkey harvest numbers for Acadiana parishes were East Baton Rouge Parish, 26; West Baton Rouge Parish, 13; Iberville and Calcasieu parishes, 11, and St. Martin Parish, 9. Iberia Parish gave up none.
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Opening week of Louisiana’s private recreational red snapper season was an encouraging one despite windy conditions in the Gulf of America, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. LDWF reported 60,054 pounds of red snapper were harvested through May 4.
“Our biologists have observed that limits were easily achieved in some areas in less than 30 minutes. We expect this to be a great red snapper season,” LDWF Secretary Tyler Boworth said in a prepared statement May 20. “Thanks to LDWF’s La Creel our Commission (Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission) has the flexibility to adjust the opening of the private recreational red snapper season, allowing anglers earlier access to the resource.”
The season started May 1 in state and federal waters, seven days a week, with a daily bag limit of four fish per person and a 16-inch minimum length limit. The season will be open until recreational landings approach or reach Louisiana’s allocation of 894,955 pounds.
The first week’s haul accounted for 6.7 percent of the allocation.
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Heavy rains recently were good news for waterfowl breeding conditions in much of the country and Canadian prairies, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
It was a welcome two-day period in mid-May across the region as rainfall easily exceeded 5 inches in some areas. The rainfall arrived a little late to have a bearing on some early-nesting dabbling ducks, noted U.S. F&WS biologists, but later nesting species likely will benefit substantially.
What’s more, the federal agency reported on May 15, the rainfall will improve conditions for early broods in late May and early June.
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This oil painting of a northern shoveler won the 2025 National Junior Duck Stamp Contest. It was painted and submitted by Catheryn Liang of Texas, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
www.fws.gov
An 18-year-old Texas woman’s oil painting of a northern shoveler won the 2025 National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced a few weeks ago.
“Gliding Through Gold,” submitted by Catheryn Liang, will appear on the 2025-26 Junior Duck Stamp. It marks the first time a northern shoveler has been featured on the Junior Duck Stamp.
A U.S. F&WS spokesman said the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest inspires students nationwide to explore wildlife conservation through art. Junior Duck Stamp sales support wildlife and wetland conservation efforts.
DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.
