208 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015
The
2015 spring gobbler hunting kicked
off last month, with staggered clos-
ings through the end of April.
See the Louisiana Hunting Regulations 2014-15
booklet for additional information on regulations,
national wildlife refuges and wildlife management
area schedules, and license and tag requirements.From a law enforcement perspective,
the two primary areas of concern with
turkey hunting are illegal baiting and
compliance with the season limit of
two gobblers.
For the turkey hunter, the two top
things to watch out for are illegal baitand hunter safety.
Let’s look at the illegal bait issue first.
Baiting is defined as “placing, exposing, deposit-
ing or scattering corn, wheat or other grain, salt or
other feed so as to constitute a lure, attraction or
enticement to, on or over any areas where hunters
are attempting to take turkeys.”
In other words, a baited area is any area where
grain or feed capable of luring, attracting or entic-
ing turkeys is directly or indirectly placed, exposed,
deposited, distributed or scattered.
Baiting for turkeys is certainly nothing new, and
wildlife enforcement agents spend a lot of time look-
ing for bait and investigating reports of baited areas.
The hard part is finding it; bait is not always very
obvious. Small grains of various seeds or feeds scat-
tered thinly over an area can be hard to spot, and it
does not last long if turkeys are feeding on it.
But agents manage to successfully apprehend
offenders every spring, and penalties are severe.
Hunters need to be mindful of illegal bait, particu-
larly those hunting on public land.
As an enforcement agent and turkey hunter, I have
done my share of working and hunting on public
land, and I understand the peril of stumbling into a
baited area by accident.
During one spring season, I walked into a pretty
remote spot open to public hunting and found a lot
of turkey scratching and droppings along a ridge.
Closer examination revealed cracked corn scattered
up and down the ridge.
It would have been very easy for an unsuspecting
and innocent hunter to notice the abundant turkey
sign and settle in for a morning hunt, completely
unaware of the presence of bait.
Just to finish the story, I returned to the spot a day
or two before opening morning the following year.
There was the cracked corn again — plus a ground
blind built with leaves and brush.Turkey time
Illegal baiting, safety are primary concerns
ABOVE: Before just set-
ting up where you see a
lot of scratching, be sure
to check for illegal bait-
ing to ensure you don’t
get cited.GAme wARDen
Keith LaCaze
Retired Wildlife Enforcement
Lieutenant Colonel Keith
LaCaze spent 34 years
with the LDWF beginning
in 1977. LaCaze is happily
married to wife Mitzi and
the father of two children.Prudent safety turkey-hunting measures
include sitting against a big tree and
ensuring there is plenty of visibility
where you set up.