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Louisiana · 2026-27 season year

Louisiana Deer Season 2026-27

Archery: September 19, 2026 to February 15, 2027. Firearms: October 17, 2026 to January 24, 2027. Every date below was read from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 2, 2026.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
September 19, 2026 to February 15, 2027
Archery
published
October 17, 2026 to January 24, 2027
Firearms
published
October 10, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Primitive Firearms
published
10 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
The four questions in one

Louisiana deer seasons, 2026-27

“When does deer season open” is four questions wearing one coat. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dates white-tailed deer seasons separately by weapon, so each one is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Archery

published

Archery is OPEN now in the Deer Area 1, through January 31, 2027, with 10 zone segments open.

Louisiana archery, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Deer Area 1October 1, 2026January 31, 2027
Deer Area 2October 1, 2026January 31, 2027
Deer Area 3September 19, 2026January 15, 2027
Deer Area 4October 1, 2026January 31, 2027
Deer Area 5October 1, 2026February 15, 2027
Deer Area 6October 1, 2026February 15, 2027
Deer Area 7September 19, 2026January 15, 2027
Deer Area 8September 19, 2026January 15, 2027
Deer Area 9October 1, 2026February 15, 2027
Deer Area 10September 19, 2026January 15, 2027

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

Louisiana draws ten deer areas and dates each one separately, which is why a Louisiana opener means nothing without an area number. In Areas 5, 6 and 9 the department splits the archery window by which deer may be taken; the full window is shown here and the split is on the department's own schedule. A separate early archery window inside the CWD management zones is listed under other seasons.

Firearms

published

Firearms is OPEN now in the Deer Area 3, through January 3, 2027, with 4 zone segments open.

Louisiana firearms, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Deer Area 1November 21, 2026January 24, 2027
Deer Area 2October 31, 2026January 17, 2027
Deer Area 3October 17, 2026January 3, 2027
Deer Area 4November 21, 2026January 24, 2027
Deer Area 5November 21, 2026January 24, 2027
Deer Area 6November 21, 2026January 24, 2027
Deer Area 7October 17, 2026January 3, 2027
Deer Area 8October 17, 2026January 3, 2027
Deer Area 9November 21, 2026January 24, 2027
Deer Area 10October 17, 2026January 3, 2027

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

LDWF dates two firearms portions inside each area's window, a still hunt only portion and a with or without dogs portion, and in some areas splits them again by which deer may be taken. The rows here are each area's full firearms window; the portion by portion breakdown is on the department's schedule. Area 10 has no with or without dogs portion at all.

Primitive Firearms

published

Primitive Firearms opens in 5 days, on October 24, 2026 (Deer Area 2).

Louisiana primitive firearms, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Deer Area 1 (segment 1)November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Deer Area 1 (segment 2)January 25, 2027January 31, 2027
Deer Area 2 (segment 1)October 24, 2026October 30, 2026
Deer Area 2 (segment 2)January 18, 2027January 24, 2027
Deer Area 3 (segment 1)October 10, 2026October 16, 2026
Deer Area 3 (segment 2)January 4, 2027January 10, 2027
Deer Area 4 (segment 1)November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Deer Area 4 (segment 2)January 25, 2027January 31, 2027
Deer Area 5 (segment 1)November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Deer Area 5 (segment 2)January 25, 2027January 31, 2027
Deer Area 6 (segment 1)November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Deer Area 6 (segment 2)January 25, 2027January 31, 2027
Deer Area 7 (segment 1)October 10, 2026October 16, 2026
Deer Area 7 (segment 2)January 4, 2027January 10, 2027
Deer Area 8 (segment 1)October 10, 2026October 16, 2026
Deer Area 8 (segment 2)January 4, 2027January 10, 2027
Deer Area 9 (segment 1)November 14, 2026November 20, 2026
Deer Area 9 (segment 2)January 25, 2027January 31, 2027
Deer Area 10 (segment 1)October 10, 2026October 16, 2026
Deer Area 10 (segment 2)January 4, 2027January 10, 2027

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

Louisiana names its muzzleloader window the primitive firearms season and gives every area two of them, one in the autumn and one in January.

Youth and Honorably Discharged Veterans season on private land

published

Youth and Honorably Discharged Veterans season on private land opens in 12 days, on October 31, 2026 (Deer Areas 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9).

Louisiana youth and honorably discharged veterans season on private land, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Deer Areas 1, 4, 5, 6 and 9October 31, 2026November 6, 2026Private land
Deer Area 2October 10, 2026October 16, 2026Private land
Deer Areas 3, 7, 8 and 10September 26, 2026October 2, 2026Private land

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

Louisiana runs the youth season together with a season for honorably discharged veterans, on private land, with three different area groupings.

For which days to sit, the Louisiana deer movement forecast rates the next 7 days Slow to Prime from the weather and first light.

LOUISIANA 2026-2027 HUNTING & WMA REGULATIONS UPDATED AUGUST 7, 2026
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, read September 2, 2026. Read it at the source
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The rest of the calendar

Other Louisiana deer seasons the agency names

Beyond the four main windows, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dates 2 further seasons for deer. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a tag actually covers.

Archery, only within the CWD Management Zone

published

Archery, only within the CWD Management Zone has closed for the season year; the last segment ended September 20, 2026.

Louisiana archery, only within the cwd management zone, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Deer Area 1 CWD Management ZoneSeptember 12, 2026September 20, 2026
Deer Area 2 CWD Management ZoneAugust 29, 2026September 6, 2026
Deer Area 6 CWD Management ZoneSeptember 12, 2026September 20, 2026

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

An early archery window inside the chronic wasting disease management zones, new for this season year according to the department's own list of major changes. The Area 2 window in late August is the earliest deer season in Louisiana.

Physically Challenged season on private land

published

Physically Challenged season on private land has closed for the season year; the last segment ended October 4, 2026.

Louisiana physically challenged season on private land, as published by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Statewide, private landOctober 3, 2026October 4, 2026

Dates read from Louisiana 2026-2027 Hunting and WMA Regulations, LDWF, accessed 2026-09-02.

A two day statewide season on private land in early October.

Zones

Louisiana deer zones

Louisiana does not have a deer season. It has 10 of them, and the boundaries between them were drawn by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries along highways, rivers and county fragments rather than anything you can see from a stand. In several states those boundaries are not even the same from one weapon season to the next.

This page publishes the agency’s zone names and links the agency’s own zone map, which is where a hunter’s zone is determined. A wrong zone answer is a wrong season date.

Alert white-tailed buck standing in bare late fall brush at dusk
A buck on the move in bare November brush at Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. Photo: Liz Julian/USFWS. “White-tailed Deer, Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota” — Liz Julian / USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain
Rules

Louisiana deer hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Louisiana regulations

Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours, tagging and reporting, and license and permit requirements for Louisiana are set by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries: current regulations
Two hunters in blaze orange and camouflage beside a wheelchair at the edge of bare winter woods, one helping the other with gear
Getting ready at the edge of the winter woods on a mobility assisted deer hunt. Many states date a season specifically for hunters with disabilities, and those windows are on the state pages. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. “USMC-11410” — U.S. Marine Corps (official photo, marines.mil) — Public domain

Deer season dates in other states

Louisiana deer movement forecastThe next 7 days rated Slow to Prime for deer movement, from the forecast and first light.Louisiana deer rutThe biology beside the calendar: when deer actually breed here, from the agency conception studies. Dates are this page; the rut is that one.Louisiana turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Louisiana duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Louisiana fall foliagePeak color and the archery weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Louisiana deer season questions

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Buck with antlers in velvet standing in tall summer grass in golden light
A buck still in velvet in late summer. The earliest archery openers land within weeks of antlers hardening. “White-tailed Deer Buck in Velvet (48804848567)” — USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries page linked beside it, read on September 2, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours and license rules are set by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national deer season guide and the Louisiana rut timing page.