"Since Hurricane Andrew, we have observed the quality of bucks increase here," said Vidrine, "mainly (owing) to the effects of an open forest floor, due to much downed timber in the area. We are encouraging as much as possible to increase hunting pressure here, as we have seen less hunters on these lands than in seasons past."

There is an either-sex gun season in mid-December as well as a bucks-only season scheduled in late December through mid-January. A seven-day primitive weapons segment is scheduled in mid-January. Bowhunting here extends into mid-February.

Last season, hunters harvested 256 whitetails here for approximately 10.5 hunter efforts (combined hunts) in managed either-sex hunts. For more information regarding maps or for any other concerns, contact the LDWF Region 6 office, 105 Avenue of the Acadians, Opelousas, LA 70570; (337) 948-0255.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Indian Bayou Area is another south-central Louisiana parcel managed for good-quality whitetails. Its 28,480 acres are in St. Landry and St. Martin parishes in the Atchafalaya Basin. This tract is mainly a bottomland hardwoods tract with inland swamp areas.

In 1999, Corps personnel initiated a 6-points-or-better rule defining legal whitetail bucks in the area. Then, according to natural resource specialist Neil Lalonde, buck management prescriptions changed, mandating in 2007 the taking of spikes or bucks with at least 4 antler points (at least 1 inch long) on one side. The taking of any buck not meeting these restrictions was prohibited.

According to Lalonde, approximately 30 to 40 percent more bucks have entered the 2 1/2- to 3 1/2-year-old age-classes since 1999-2000.

A primitive weapons gun hunt is usually scheduled for nine days in December, with a bucks-only modern firearms season taking place in January. Permits necessary for hunting at the Indian Bayou Area can be found on bulletin boards at the tract. Tips and tactics here for success are similar to those you'd use across the Atchafalaya River at Sherburne WMA.

Maps and permits can be obtained by contacting the Corps office at Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System Project Office, 112 Speck Lane, Port Barre, LA 70577; (337) 585-0853.

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There you have it -- locations, tips and tactics for hunting Louisiana's late delta rut. For more, see the LDWF Web site, www.wlf.louisiana.gov.