New Louisiana law changes restrictions for hunters, dogs tracking shot deer

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that changes restrictions for dogs tracking wounded game.

Act 272, sponsored by Rep. Jason Dewitt (R-La.), would allow a licensed hunter to find a deer that was legally shot and wounded using lights, blood trails or a tracking dog. If the game is found alive after legal hunting hours, the licensed hunter is allowed to kill the game with a pistol. This rule excludes the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Management Areas.

Only one dog is allowed per tracking party, but the law allows a second dog to be used for retrieval training purposes. All dogs must be on a handheld leash or have a GPS-tracking collar.

Present law requires the dog to be on a leash when tracking.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries thanked Landry, the Louisiana State Legislature and Dewitt for passing Act 272.

The law goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2024.

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter .

Latest Posts

• New Orleans Police Department prepares for Louisiana concealed carry law to go in effect
• Rex announces new location for Queen of Carnival’s toast
• Invest 95L likely to develop as it moves west
• Tijuana Pride expected to draw big crowds, bolster business on the strip
• US troops help Mexican army deal with mock train derailment, chemical fire

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.