Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas are protected conservation areas within the state of Louisiana. The goal is protecting, conserving, and replenishing wildlife, including all aquatic life. Wildlife Management Areas may be owned or managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The Enforcement Division ensures compliance of laws and rules and regulations regarding the management, conservation, protection of natural wildlife and fisheries resources, and providing public safety.

Ecoregions

Louisiana is divided into areas called ecoregions, West Gulf Coast Plain (WGCP) with 370,861 acres, East Gulf Coast Plain (EGCP) with 198,377 acres, Mississippi Alluvial Valley - North (MAVN) with 128,736 acres, and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley - South (MAVS) with 257,999 acres.Land Development & Management: Ecoregions- Retrieved 2017-02-08

Wildlife Management Areas Louisiana Wildlife Management Areas:Louisiana WMAs- Retrieved 2024-04-17

NameParish or ParishesAcresOwnerAcadiana Conservation Corridor Wildlife Management AreaAvoyelles, Evangeline, Rapides, St. Landry2,285Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBayoubucks.com: Acadiana Conservation Corridor WMF- Retrieved 2017-02-06Alexander State ForestRapides8,158State of LouisianaAtchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management AreaSt. Mary137,695U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), LDWF, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE)Attakapas Wildlife Management AreaIberia Parish, St. Martin, St. Mary27,962State of Louisiana, United States Army Corps of EngineersBayou Macon Wildlife Management AreaEast Carroll6,919Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBayou Pierre Wildlife Management AreaDeSoto, Red River2,799Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBen Lilly Conservation AreaBen Lilly Conservation Area Retrieved 2024-05-26Morehouse247State of Louisiana; managed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) LDWF:Ben Lilly Conservation AreaBig Colewa Bayou Wildlife Management AreaWest Carroll1,798Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBig Lake Wildlife Management AreaFranklin, Madison, Tensas19,231Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBiloxi Wildlife Management AreaSt. Bernard35,644Biloxi Marsh Land CorporationBodcau Wildlife Management AreaBossier and Webster33,766U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and a private corporate landownerBoeuf Wildlife Management AreaCaldwell, Catahoula51,110 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesBuckhorn Wildlife Management AreaTensas Parish11,121Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesCatahoula Lake Wildlife Management AreaLa Salle29440State of LouisianaBussey Brake Wildlife Management AreaMorehouse2,600Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesClear Creek Wildlife Management Area (former Boise-Vernon WMA)Vernon52,559Boise Cascade sold to Forest Capital Partners, LLC., then sold to Molpus Woodlands Group and The Hancock Timber Resource GroupDewey W. Wills Wildlife Management Area (former Saline WMA)Catahoula, LaSalle, Rapides63,984Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, LaSalle Parish School Board, and the U.S. Army Corps of EngineersLouisiana Sportsman: Dewey Wills WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-06Elbow Slough Wildlife Management AreaRapides160Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesElm Hall Wildlife Management AreaAssumption2,839Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesElm Hall WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-06Esler Field Wildlife Management AreaRapides, Grant12,500Louisiana National GuardFloy Ward McElroy Wildlife Management AreaRichland681Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesFloy Ward McElroy WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-06Fort Johnson North Wildlife Management Area (formerly Peason Ridge WMA)Sabine and Natchitoches74,309U.S. ArmyFort Johnson-Vernon Wildlife Management AreaVernon Parish105,545U.S. Army and U.S. Forest ServiceFort Polk WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-06Grassy Lake Wildlife Management AreaAvoyelles Parish12,983Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesHutchinson Creek Wildlife Management AreaSt. Helena 129Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesJ. C. "Sonny" Gilbert Wildlife Management Area (former Sicily Island Hills WMA)Louisiana Sportsman- Retrieved 2018-05-15Catahoula Parish7,524Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries:John Franks Wildlife Management AreaCaddo3,664U.S. Army Corps of EngineersJoyce Wildlife Management AreaTangipahoa42,292Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Joyce Foundation (851 acres), and Tangipahoa School Board (484 acres)LDWF- Retrieved 2017-11-30Lake Boeuf Wildlife Management AreaLafourche800Department of Wildlife and FisheriesLake Ramsay Savannah Wildlife Management AreaSt. Tammany796Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesLittle River Wildlife Management AreaGrant, LaSalle, and Rapides6,045Resource Management Service, LLC and LDWF (4,164), LDWF and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (5951)Loggy Bayou Wildlife Management AreaBossier6,558Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, U.S. Army Corps of EngineersManchac Wildlife Management AreaSt. John the Baptist8,328Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesMarsh Bayou Wildlife Management AreaEvangeline655Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesMaurepas Swamp Wildlife Management AreaAscension, Livingston, St. John the Baptist, St. James and Tangipahoa112,615Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesPass a Loutre Wildlife Management AreaPlaquemines115,000Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesPearl River Wildlife Management AreaSt. Tammany35,619Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesPeason Ridge Wildlife Management AreaSee: Fort Johnson North Wildlife ManagementPointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management AreaTerrebonne and Lafourche33,488Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesPomme de Terre Wildlife Management AreaAvoyelles6,434Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesRichard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (former Red River/Three Rivers WMA)Richard K Yancey: Former Red River/Three Rivers WMA- Retrieved 2017-03-04Concordia70,872Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, U.S. Army Corps of EngineersRussell Sage Wildlife Management AreaMorehouse, Ouachita and Richland38,213Louisiana Department of Wildlife & FisheriesSabine Island Wildlife Management AreaCalcasieu8,343State of Louisiana and Calcasieu Parish SchoolsSabine Wildlife Management AreaSabine7,571Forest Capital Partners, LLC, et alSalvador\/Timken Wildlife Management AreaSt. Charles34,520 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (Salvador); City Park Commission of New Orleans (Timken)Sandy Hollow Wildlife Management AreaTangipahoa Parish4,655Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (3,514 acres) and Tangipahoa Parish School Board (181 acres)Sherburne Complex Wildlife Management AreaPointe Coupee, St. Martin, and Iberville43,637LDWF, USFWS, and USACOESoda Lake Wildlife Management AreaCaddo2,500Caddo Levee District, USACOESpring Bayou Wildlife Management AreaAvoyelles12,506Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesTangipahoa Parish School Board Wildlife Management AreaTangipahoa1,643Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (Free Lease)Thistlethwaite Wildlife Management AreaSt. Landry11,100Thistlethwaite HeirsTunica Hills Wildlife Management AreaWest Feliciana6,503Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesWalnut Hill Wildlife Management AreaVernon595Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesWest Bay Wildlife Management AreaAllen59,189Hancock Timber, Roy O. Martin, Forest InvestmentWhite Lake Wetlands Conservation AreaWhite Lake Wetlands Conservation Area Retrieved 2024-05-26Vermilion71,905Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

Former WMA The LDWF free-lease on the more than 25,000-acre Jackson - Bienville Wildlife Management Area (a WMA since 1961)Jackson - Bienville WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-19 was not renewed as of July 1, 2016,Jackson - Bienville removed from WMA participation- Retrieved 2017-02-19 as an agreement with the Weyerhaeuser Company could not be reached. Nesting areas of the Red-cockaded woodpeckers are still subject to protection by the State of Louisiana and the LDWF under current laws and rules and regulations. title-Jackson Bienville closure is disappointing. Author- Andy Crawford/date- July 1-2016/Retrieved 2024-07-07

Ben's Creek Wildlife Management Area in Washington Parish, with 13,044-acres (since 1987), was removed as a free-lease so the public can no longer use the property. title-Ben’s Creek WMA dropping from system. Date- May 21, 2012/Retrieved 2024-07-07

Georgia Pacific WMA A 25,480-acre tract of land, bordered on the west by the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the LDWF under a twenty-five year lease with tax exemptions that started in 1994, was removed as a WMA in 2003.Georgia Pacific property removed as a WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-21 The property, previously known as Terzia Game Preserve, under cooperative agreements with the state of Louisiana since 1935, was renamed Georgia Pacific WMA in 1966. Georgia Pacific Corporation transferred the property to a subsidy, The Timber Company, and the property was acquired by Plum Creek Timber Company during a 2001 merger. A local attorney brought a lawsuit in 2002 challenging the legality of a 1987 Legislative act (LSA-R.S. 56:24), that exempted local and state property taxes on corporate forest lands leased to the State for hunting by the public, that allegedly conflicts with Section 21 of Article 7 of the Louisiana Constitution. The lawsuit will likely have far reaching implications on land made available to the public that includes over 400,000 acres in Louisiana. With the potential loss of tax exemptions more property owners will likely not renew leases and many will opt to self-manage property pursuing other uses like leasing to hunting clubs, that have become a lucrative deal.The Pineywoods.com: Lawsuit over Georgia Pacific WMA- Retrieved 2017-02-21

Conservation areas White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in Vermilion Parish

Wildlife refuges

NameParish or ParishesAcresOwnerElmer's Island RefugeJefferson Parish1,145State of Louisiana: Managed by the LDWFElmer's Island Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14Isle Dernieres Barrier Islands RefugeTerrebonne Parish: Wine, Trinity/East, Whiskey, and Raccoon Islands1,900State of LouisianaIsle Dernieres Barrier Islands Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14Marsh Island Wildlife RefugeIberia Parish76,664 (now 71,000)LDWFMarsh Island Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14Queen Bess Island Wildlife RefugeJefferson37Louisiana Department of Wildlife and FisheriesRockefeller Wildlife RefugeCameron Parish, Vermilion Parish71,000State of LouisianaRockefeller Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14St. Tammany Wildlife RefugeSt. Tammany Parish1,310Owned by LDWF; cooperatively managed by LDWF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceSt. Tammany Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14State Wildlife RefugeVermilion13,000LDWFState Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14Waddill Wildlife Refuge and Outdoor Education CenterEast Baton Rouge Parish250LDWFWaddill Wildlife Refuge- Retrieved 2017-07-14

References