deer hunting in Louisiana!
 

Me and my brother might have a opportunity to hunt 300 acres of private land in northwest Louisiana that has not been hunted on in many years. Can anyone tell me what kind of things I might expect to see as far as body weight on mature bucks and how far apart are there ears on average to tell how there spreads might look like. I'm from northern MN and things are definately gonna be different and I am looking for a little advise on judging them and what not. Thanks

RE: deer hunting in Louisiana!
 

just looking for some field judging tips for deer in this part of the country, northwest LA. antler spread body weight ect. any body got any tips for me. Thanks!

RE: deer hunting in Louisiana!
 

I hunt in north central LA., so the deer aren't much different where you are going. A good buck in that area is going to have a 14" to 17" spread on average, but spread isn't evrything. I killed an 8 point this year that had a 15 inch spread, but he had very good mass for this area and was almost perfectly symmetrical.Body size will be much different down here. An average 1 1/2 yr. old buck will weigh around 110 to 125pounds,2 1/2 yr. old 135 to 155 pounds, and3 1/2 yr. old 155 to 175. Of course there are exceptions to these weights.Don't get me wrong, there are some really good bucks in north LA. There are bucks over 200 pounds where you are going, just not that many. There are many bucks killedeach year in northwest LA.that score 140 or better. I would say if you get a shot at a 120 class or better, you had better take it. If the antlers go outside the ears, you may want to take him.I killed an 8 point a couple years ago on my place that had a 20 inch inside spread. He looked to be a 3 1/2 yr. old that weighed 165 pounds. I killed a 3 1/2 yr. old 10 point this year that weighed 175 pounds. Weights can vary, but the bucks are not going to be giants. You are used to seeing much larger bodied deer up north, so don't let the body size down here fool you.A friend of mine killed an 8 point that scored 126 and weighed 185 pounds and a 9 point that scored 142 and weighed 198 pounds a couple of weeks ago. They were both killed in north central LA. A hunter killed a buck this past weekend only 5 miles from my property that scored over 200 non typical. We have some nice bucks down here, but I have to tell you, your timing may not be so great. The primaryrut has long passed in northwest and north central LA. We usually do have a secondary rut about this time of year though. I hate to be pessimistic, but your chances of killing a good buck are much lower this time of year. It can happen though at any time. I did kill a nice 9 point last year on Dec. 31, so it can happen. It's strange how the rut in north LA. is so different. The bucks in extreme northeast LA. are just now starting the pre rut. If you are hunting some of the river parishes, now through the first couple of weeks of Jan. is the time to be hunting for good bucks. There are some monsters in this part of the state, 225 to 250 pounders are common. Good luck. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Where exactly are you hunting?