David Moreland, formerly the state's deer study leader, is now the chief of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' Wildlife Division. We asked Moreland about the arguably unique bowhunting opportunities in the southwest corner of the state.

"The department established Area 8, a small section along the Sabine River in portions of Calcasieu, Allen and Beauregard parishes, a couple of years ago," he responded. "Hunters had been complaining about seeing bucks chasing does before the season opened in this area, so the LDWF agreed to establish this area to allow hunters to take advantage of this early rut. The archery season opens around Sept. 15 and runs through mid-January."

Deer making their homes in the south Louisiana marsh generally run smaller in size than do deer in other parts of the state, reports wildlife biologist John Robinette. "A 2 1/2-year-old buck that weighs 130 pounds is a big deer for this part of the state," he observed. "Last season, we had a buck that scored 128 on the Boone and Crockett scale -- a buck that wouldn't get a second look elsewhere in the state, but a real trophy down here."

Moreland says that southwest Louisiana has several good-quality areas that should favor bowhunters. "In this area, bowhunters like the Boise Vernon and West Bay wildlife management areas," he offered. "Also, there is the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, which has lots of deer. It's a bowhunt-only area, but because of the terrain, it's hard to get around in there.

"The rut down there generally peaks in early October. You'll find scrapes in September. These deer are programmed for an early rut, probably to get the fawns on the ground before hurricane season hits. By the time the rut occurs in northwest and western Louisiana, around Thanksgiving, it's long been over down in the southwestern parishes.

"Quality hunts down there in the southwest part of the state really depend on the weather," Moreland added. "For the past few seasons, it has been so warm during bow season that the deer didn't move much during daylight hours. If you get some cold weather during bow season, the hunting can be quite good."

Another area of the state that gets plenty of attention during bow season is the area along the Mississippi Delta. The timing of the rut in this part of the state is just the opposite of that in southwest Louisiana, says Moreland.

One of the state's most deer-rich regions is the area along Louisiana's eastern boundary. Low-lying lands along the Mississippi River delta are some of the most fertile lands in the state. Fortunately for deer hunters, there are several areas open to public hunting located in this region. "The rut normally occurs in this part of the state in late December on into January," Moreland noted.

The area between I-20 down to the southern end of Concordia Parish contains several public areas, some managed by the state, others by the federal government. State-owned areas include the Three Rivers, Red River, Big Lake, Sicily Island Hills and Buckhorn wildlife management areas. Federal areas are the Tensas and Bayou Cocodrie national wildlife refuges.

This area is known not only for the number of deer but also for the quality of the animals taken there. It is not all that uncommon for hunters to bring out bucks that rival in weight those of the northern states. Several bucks weighing in the neighborhood of 300 pounds have been weighed at check stations in the area.