Louisiana Squirrel Season Dates & Info [2022-2023]

If you’re looking for information on the Louisiana squirrel season, you’ve come to the right place. Louisiana hunters are fortunate to have two squirrel seasons covering nearly half of the year! That means lots of opportunities to get out of the house and into the woods to hone your woodsmanship skills, practice shooting, and put some excellent game meat on your table if your aim is true.

Fun Fact: According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, about 50,000 squirrel hunters harvest about 750,000 squirrels in Louisiana each year.

If you’re interested in hunting Louisiana squirrels this season, we’ve provided all the necessary information below to ensure you’re legal and to give you your best odds for success.  

2022-2023 Louisiana Squirrel Season Dates

Squirrel Season	Season Dates	Daily Bag Limit
Fall Season	Oct. 1, 2022 - Feb. 28, 2023	8
Spring Season	May 6-28, 2023*	3

*Spring squirrel season is CLOSED on the Kisatchie National Forest, some national wildlife refuges, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property, and some state WMAs.

RELATED: 2022-2023 Louisiana Deer Season Dates
RELATED: 2022-2023 Louisiana Duck Season Dates

Louisiana’s Squirrel Hunting Regulations

Squirrel Hunting License Requirements

Residents and nonresident hunters age 18 or older must have a Basic Hunting License to hunt squirrels. You can purchase your license online through the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Hunters born on or after September 1, 1969, must complete a Hunter Education course approved by LDWF before hunting unsupervised.

Louisiana Squirrel Season Bag Limit

The daily bag limit for Louisiana’s fall squirrel season is 8, and the possession limit is 24. During the spring season, the daily bag limit is just 3 squirrels, with a possession limit of 9.

Legal Shooting Hours

Louisiana hunters can shoot squirrels from one half-hour before sunrise until one half-hour after sunset.

Legal Squirrel Hunting Weapons

• Rimfire firearms .22 caliber or smaller.
• Muzzleloading firearms .36 caliber or smaller.
• Legal archery gear
• Air rifles
• Shotguns

Wolves in Squirrels

A lot of hunters won’t go out early in the Louisiana squirrel season due to the presence of wolves, or warbles, on the squirrels. Wolves are the larvae of bot flies, which lay their eggs on vegetation in the woods. When a squirrel comes in contact with the larvae, the larvae grab onto the squirrel and burrow under the skin. 

Squirrels with wolves, or warbles, will have large lumps on the skin where the bot fly larvae are burrowed underneath. It’s not pretty, but wolves have no negative impact on the meat of the squirrel. 

So don’t let the thought of wolves keep you from hitting the woods this October in pursuit of a limit of bushytails. Not only will it give you an opportunity to hone your shooting skills before deer season, but it can provide excellent table fare as well. 

Louisiana Squirrel Hunting Video

Here’s a great video from Pelican Bone Outdoors of some early Louisiana squirrel season hunting to get you in the mood to chase some bushytails!

Louisiana Squirrel Season FAQs