NORTH MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION
Ranking fourth on the list for wild turkey production regions is the North Mississippi Delta Region in northeast Louisiana. This region contains the parishes of Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas and West Carroll.

The quality of turkey hunting will vary from parish to parish because of the diversity of habitat on these lands, which vary from poorly drained areas along the Mississippi River to rolling pine/hardwood hills.

Some excellent public lands are to be found in this region, such as Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, and state areas like Big Lake, Buckhorn, Boeuf, Red River and Three Rivers wildlife management areas.

"Big Lake Wildlife Management Area, as well as the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, have both had good hatches of birds the past few years, and I expect hunting there this spring to be good," said Savage. "Because of the popularity of these areas, they receive a good bit of hunting pressure, so I'd suggest that hunters do as I do when hunting the Kisatchie: Put on your walking shoes and head for the heart of these areas away from other hunters."

SOUTHEAST LOBLOLLY REGION
Bringing up the rear is the Southeast Loblolly Region, which in the past was the prime area of the state for turkeys.

The problem with this area has to do mainly with urban sprawl. Much of this region lies adjacent to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the state's two largest metropolitan areas. As a result, acres that formerly held good populations of turkeys and other wildlife have been converted to subdivisions and housing developments.

In addition, the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 still persist in this part of the state, with much of the area's forest and turkey habitat having been destroyed. Authorities believe that while the effect was severe, the long-term outlook appears to be brighter as habitat is slowly restored.

The area includes the parishes of East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington and West Feliciana. This region consists of 1.9 million acres, but only 59,000 of those, or 3.1 percent, are available as public land. Most of the forested habitat in this region is managed for pine production.

"If you're willing to walk into the heart of some of this area, you can find some really good hunting away from the majority of hunters. Most aren't willing to walk a couple of miles to find unpressured turkeys." --Larry Savage, LDWF

Among the public areas located in this region are Ben's Creek, Sandy Hollow and Tunica Hills WMAs. "All of the parishes in this region have wild turkeys, but the number of birds varies greatly, even within the same parish, due to habitat restrictions," said Savage.

Tunica Hills WMA is a rather unusual spot. The steep clay bluffs and timber types give you the impression that you're not in Louisiana anymore. The LDWF recognizes that 5,783-acre Tunica Hills offers unique flora and fauna. "Terrain in the area is typified by rugged hills, bluffs and ravines," reads the area's description on the LDWF Web site. "These bluff lands offer a diverse habitat that supports some species of plants and animals not found elsewhere in Louisiana. At least 20 species of plants classified as rare in Louisiana are found on this area. Two of these species have not been found to occur anywhere else in Louisiana."